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Sciences 
Corporalion 


33  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(7:6)  872-4503 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHIVI/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Tachnica:  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notas  trchniquas  at  bibliographiquas 


Tha  Instltuta  has  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  best 
original  copy  avaiiabia  for  filming.  Faatures  of  this 
copy  which  may  ba  bibliographically  uniqua, 
which  may  altar  any  of  tha  images  in  tha 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommagAe 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/  . 
Couverture  restaur^e  et/ou  pelliculAe 

Cover  ti:le  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps/ 

Car:as  giographiquas  en  couleur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  hiack)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Relii  avac  d'autres  documents 


r~T]    Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 


D 


D 


along  interior  margin/ 

La  re  liure  serrde  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 

distorsion  le  long  de  la  marge  mt6rieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  ss  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajouties 
lors  d'une   estauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  itait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  iti  film^M. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppldmentaires: 


L'lnstitut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  it*  possible  de  se  procurer.  Le^  details 
db  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-dtra  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographiqua,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  rwproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  miftthoda  normala  de  filmage 
sont  indiquis  ci-dessous. 


I      I   Coloured  pages/ 


Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagias 

Pages  restored  and/oi 

Pages  restaurdes  et/ou  pelliculdes 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxec. 
Pages  dicoior^es,  tachetdes  ou  piqu6es 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  ditachies 


I      j  Pages  damaged/ 

r~]  Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 

HT]  Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 

I      j  Pages  detached/ 


Showthrough/ 
Transparence 


I      I    Quality  of  print  varies/ 


Quality  indgale  de  I'imprdssion 

Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  materiel  supplementaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 


^    Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
'   slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
I.es  pages  totalement  ou  partieliement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
tttc,  ont  ixi  filmies  A  nouveau  de  facon  it 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 
Ce  document  est  film*  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqui  ci-dessous. 
10X  14X  18X  22X 


26X 


12X 


SOX 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


The  copy  fitmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

La  BibliotMque  de  la  Villa  de  Montreal 


L'exemplaire  film«  fut  reproduit  grAce  A  la 
g«n*rosit«  de: 

La  Biblioth«qiM  do  la  Villa  da  Montreal 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  Iteeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printsd  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  bacic  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — »>  (meaning  "CON- 
TIIMUED"),  or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  images  suivantes  ont  «t«  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  at 
de  la  nettet6  de  l'exemplaire  filmd,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
flimage. 

Les  exempiaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprim«e  sont  film«s  en  commenpant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
derniire  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impresslon  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exempiaires 
originatrx  sont  filmte  en  commen^ant  par  la 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impresslon  ou  d'iilustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  derni*re  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaltra  sur  la 
derniAre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbols  — ^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atra 
filmAs  A  des  taux  de  reduction  diffArents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seui  clichA,  il  est  fiimA  A  partir 
de  I'angle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nAceesaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mAthode. 


1  2  3 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

blK 


JbuN 


THE 


AMERICAN  SCHOOL  LlBRARt. 


tOtUMiti  0NI>KA  tHB  DlRietMNT  Of 

THE  AMERfCAN  SOCIETY  FOR  THE  DIFFUSION 
OF  USEFUL  KNOWLEDGE. 


<*  Kfuwledge  It  like  the  light  of  hetvea :  (kt,  ptit,  plcuant,  nhauiHeMk  tt  iariter  al 
**>"••*••"'■  '•  •'  «<linitt  of  no  pre^mptioa,  Bo  righto  Aclaaive,  no  monopoly.'' 

'  Promote,  u  objects  of  primarf  import«b«b,  inttitiriMi  for  the  gnthl  -"flhrh^  if 
y>ov)Mgt.*'—mmnitm^fanwtaMdnm 


NEW-YdRR; 
HARPER    &   BROTHER  8,< 

MO.  62^  0UV'r>8TR<EKT. 

Idas. 


if**5&'jrl#  *• 


n 


THE  /MERrCAN  SOCIETY 
FOR  THE  DIFFUSION  OF  USEFUL  KNOWLEDGE 

Ills  Excellency  Gov.  Marnv  I  Ik",  .r^?!''*""'  =  _ 


H  n.  Albert  Uallatm,  New  York 
IIo.i.tteub«nH.  Walworth,  NY 
III.  Hey.  UenJ.  T.  OiiderUouk.  N  Y 
*'"n.  Franklin  Pier.:e.  N  n 

Francis  Waylanrt,  D.D..  li  i"  i.       ;;- "■•■■'. 

IJon.  Theodore  Frelinjluvse,!  N        I""-  L'*"''*'^*  E*«r«" 

II...I.  8a  nuel  L.  Sou  hard       '  N  * '     °"  S'"^"'"  ^  Sherman,        Conn' 

III...   i»„K„..  i,  ,.""'"aro,       J^- J  Hon.  Horace  Biniiev  If  n     d 


His  Ex.  Gov.  Everett,  LL  D ,  Mas.. 
Hon.  Dan  Websler,  LL.I).,  Bo3ro^ 
Jamea  Miliior,  D.U.        New  v'?t" 
Hi..  Excellency  6ov  DunZ'^M^ 
Hon.  Ruel  Williams,  ^'    mJ 

it?:  {/•"■acejivert'lt,  y' 


Ho...  Robert  C.  <ireer 
lion.  Roger  B.  Taney,' 
Hon  Windham  Robertson. 
Hon.  William  C.  Rives,     ' 
General  James  Hamilton. 
Hon.  Mcnry  Hiiclwock, 
Hon.  Aie.xanrler  Porter. 
Hon.  Felix  Grundy, 


Pen  11 
Md. 
Va 
Va 


Del. 
D.C. 

N  C. 
Geo 

Mi.ss. 
Ark. 

Ind. 
Mo 


Hon.  James  Hayard, 
Thomas  Sewall,  M  D.. 
Hon.  William  GaHion. 
-  Hon.  John  M.  Berrien' 

Ai     »  "•  '^"''««  J-  Walker. 
Ala.IIon.Tlioma«J.Lacy  ' 

R'.  Rev.  (Jharlea  P.  M'llvaine  oZlif"  9i/»«"«'  I^-'>-. 
I  .«  G-xcellency  (iov.  iCicm,  *     in    ^"  ,^""»"'  "endr  cks, 
Henry  R.  ticliMcraft '  Eiq.!    Mich.l """•  *'"'**«  *''  ^""f 

A!on7o  Potter,  D  D  N^ilf  v  *!'"  fl'i^ectora: 

John  Knox,  U  D  ,     •  ^"^•^°r''|  •^"«'"««  iVf'AuIey.  D.D  .  New-York 

Jacob  Jane  way,  iVd  ,  «    fc"'"'"'  '-  "^^l*'.  D.D..  - 

Rev.  John  A.  Vauahan  «     d  "'"J"*  '^'-'«'"«  D.D., 

Rev.  Gorham  U.  Abbott.  "    fc"  ^T'^.^ '''^"''' 

"'■"   "  •-   "  ••    •         '  Kt«'.  John  Prondflt 

[*rof  Benj.  Sillimati.  LL.D., 
Hon.  Samuel  Jones,  ' 

Hon.  Myndert  Van  Schaick, 
Hon.  He  nan  Lincoln, 
Bradford  Sumner,  Esq.. 
^avid  Grahan;,  Esq.. 
Timothy  R.  Green,  Ksu. 

Georges.  Robbins,  Esq., 
Cornelius  Baker,  ^:(^q^ ' 
John  Griscom,  LL  d!  ' 


Hon.Benj.  F.  Hutler.  LL.D.  «• 
Hon.  Samuel  T.  Armstrong,  Miss 
{  on.  Samuel  Hubbard.  f,L  b  " 
PeTi  f :'^'"  ^ergeant,  Pennsylvania. 
v  I  .;  Sniy vesant,  Esq  ,  N  V 
Hugh  Maxwell,  E=.q,  ^'  "«  ' 
Charles  Butler,  Esq.,  4, 

Hiram  Ketchnm,  lOsq..  <i 

James  Brown,  Esq.,  ^  ' 

Frederic  A.  Tracy,  Esq., 

BleaEer  Lord,  Esi,     ^' 

Thomas  Cock,  MD., 

John  T.  Gilchrist,  Fsq., 

Samuel  W.  Seton,  EsiJ., 

Isaac  Collins,  Esq.,    /^nnsylvania 

-  Executive  Committee* 

JohnTorrey,M  WedToli  I'^i  ^rlZ'^'^'^ci  "i'^^^^' 

Alinzo  Potter, D  D..  fj  Col      ";/  ^^^'nas  Cock,  M.D.,      New-VoHr 


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Conn 
N.Y. 

u 

Mass. 
ti 

N.Y 
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Wilbur  Pisk, D.D..  Wes.  U  d.,  Conn 
Rev.  Jacob  Abbott,  Bom""' 

Rev.  Be.a  B.  Edwirds,  .?"■ 

£-"ti?rE'^Se'^^"-"sr- 

Ol.arlesBuUer.ESr'New.Sj' 


GoRHAu  n  A*'"®'""y  *^-  "«'» 


Wii  p-vTrr    "'^l  *•  »'»"verp  ty," 

John  T  nT^*"'  ^'y*^-  ^«-  ««C'* 
Jj|hn  T.  Gilchrist,  Ei<«i .  '.i 

Timothy  R,  Green.  Esq.. 

Marmus  Wiiieti,  M.D., 

WUliamBetis.Esq., 

iHenry  E.  Davies.  Em 


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['LEDGE. 


I'D,  Mass. 
.!>.,  B(Minn. 
New- York 
unlap,    Me 
Me 
Vt. 
Conn. 
Penn 
Del. 
D.C. 
N  C. 
Geo 
Miss. 
Ark. 

^y 

Iiid. 
Mo 


D., 


few-York, 
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N.Y. 

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THE  AMERICAN  SCHOOL  LIBRARY. 

The  So-riety  for  the  Difllision  of  Useful  ICnn«,i«^ 
couniry  the  con.mencenie...  oftheirl.  "arv  fm-  -.^^l'"/'"*"*"*  '«  ">• 
brace,  when  eo,„,,let«d.  n  few  huridVed  Sm."«  ^^'^'^'^''^V*''^ '»  «""- 
w..h  special  refereiice  to  .he  wa.rofrhrvmh  of  „?.'/""  "'"^  *'»'"»"»«» 
neliKle  in  (he  ran«e  of  ns  suhjects  works  h?  h^  ■"'  •^'""'"•y-  H  will 
k.iowle.|.re  most  iniereH.iMjf  a,  d  usen?l  in  he^rlY'K"1  ^«l!««'"ents  of 
iiiPltidir.K  history,  voyages  and  Ira vhI  hinl!/^'"  ^"''^  "'  '^'^  I'«o|'le, 
physical,  inlelle(^ual.',ncU,  and  H   ical  SS'h^^^^^  ''"''"^>'  '»><» 

.he'fc:;:riThe";:^;SeM^^^  "»>"..«,  .n  sever,,  of 

have  induced  them  to\Ce  the  JrSt  SelecHol.T''  """  •*'^''  '''»'™^y. 
tions  to  ineei  the  in.mediHie  w«  roTour  LchJJL'^\^«'^r''"«  '"^'^"'-•n- 
fast  as  possible,  to  co.npleto  the  p  an  an  o.m,.r?^'  ^J"  "  '*"^y  ««  «>".  «« 
«.|ec.us.  They  Will  regard,  in  iC  Ixe  "ur^V  11  !hL^';'Jf ''*'*^^^  "^"^ 
tastes  circiunstances,  aiMlcapacines  of  rSs'  '^'^'*'"  "««»' 

tensively  the  public  approbation  in  th^,  tSt?v  ,„^  l^'^o  ^^''^'^ed  ex- 
oom|ne..cetnentofthe8eries,toheexlndPd  frn^^''  '"  Europe,  as  the 
s^iall  comprise  a  well-selec  ed  a/id  comnr..S  "•'"'"ri"  ^""«'  ""«*'  '« 
Knowledge,  wort'.y  of  a  place  n  every  sSrT"'^*''^'""^'  "''  U***^' 
Il  wil    be  the  erealest  car«  ofihlnL  *"'""*"">"'"  "four  country. 

Taded  and  chara?Sd  b^a /p  r  ^?f'S7i'Sn'''*'  "??  ^""'«  ^  P«'- 
refine  and  elevate  the  moral  chaSr  of  onrnaUo.r''^"^  '*""''"*^  "» 


HISTORY. 

A  View  of  Ancient  and  Modern 
E?ypt.  By  Rev  M.  Russell,  LL.  I). 

»»alesime,  «,r  the  Holy  Land.  From 
the  Burliest  Period  lo  the  Present 
Imie,  By  IJev.  M.  Itussell.  LL.D. 

History  of  t'hivaJry  and  the  Cru- 
sades.   L'y  O  P.  R.  James     " 


I  VOYAGES  AND  TRAVELSL 


Modern.     By  Andrew  Crichton 
2  vi)l8.    Engraviriffs,  &c. 
The  Chinese.   A  general  Description 
of  the  Empire  of  China  and  its 
Inhabitants      Cy   joh„    p^ncis 

A^?"  '^' ^^•^-    W*'»«  Engravings. 
American  History.    By  the  Author 

Wi.h  ?*""*'.'  ''"P"'"  I-essons. 
With  Engravings.    3  vols 
■American  Revoiuiion 
Thatcher.  Esq. 

History  of  New-York 
Dunlap. 

History  of  Virginia. 
Ptiilip. 


An  Historical  Account  of  the  Plr. 
c«,nna^vjg«tio«ofti,eGlLbe'  ^l^. 

^nireln'A'i-°**'°.^'''y»"''  ^'l'«n. 

Affes  to  ,h'%  P'«'"«he  Earliest 

pf«r!   °  "'*.  P'"e«em  Time,     fly 

En-     {Jiffessor   Jameson,  and   Jamei 


Modern.     By  Andrew  Crichton.     gators.    Portraits.      *'"^'y  ^"^I 


Portraits. 


BIOGRAPHY. 

^  J''''?,.®f  Washington.  By  J  ir 
Pauldmg.Esq.  In  2  vols.^  Wiui 
Engravings  "" 

By  B.  B.  The  Life  and  Actions  of  Alexander 
ByWilUam     !.^''m?.^^,«3;th;Hev.J.Wi,r 

By  UacIeF  S  V  j  t"""™*""  ^''"  »«•,. 


!i 


U  M 


The  LIfc  or  Oliver  Cromwell.    By, 

the  Rev.  M.  Russell,  LL.D.     s 

voIm.    Portrait.  *' 

tJvos  orr«lehr.ned  Travellers.    Rv 

James  Auxiisiiih  8i  .lohn.   3  voU' 

•reigns.  «>  Mrs.  .lamesoii.  3  vols 

NATURAL  mSTORT.  i,  .c.,v«.. 

^iJr'"  ^""'«  '"  '»•«  Ohservarion  TwL?/*'"?'""^'"'  "•«  'ntelleciual 
ofNarure;  or,  Hinrn  of  In.lu  e-  Tr.nh''"u'^  '?"  Inve«.i„a,i„n  of 
n.«...  .„...„  c, "«<e|    Truth.     By   John  Aberrrombli 


Translated    by  TTanter.     Witii 

Terms,  and  Engravings, 
INTELLECTUAL  SCIENCE. 


nie.ino,heS.u.ly«fNaniral?rJ. 
diiciionHHndA,.|,enrnncM,miheir 
&""*«"'!.""''  Relations.  Uy 
Robert  Mu.ne.  En^ravinffs.  ^ 
The  SwiHM  F„,niiy  RobinJon;  or 
Adven.ureHofa  Faiher  «„d  Ali" 
u^I,A"i  P«"^  Sons  0.1  a  Desert 
Island.  2  vols.  With  KngravinJ" 

Childrj.n«fK)utii,eTree8ofArr,er. 
tvi    k,      ""  "'""erous  Fii<travliiaH 

2"^^irw/iT^°^^'''''^'«'^" 

W-.      .  ■  .."'"h  Eiigravlnm. 
Natural    Ili«,ory ;   or,    tSoIs   and 

By'&eThllip'"'''""'  ^"-«'- 


M.D.F.R.i   "wUhQS^r 
BELLES  LETTRE* 

i'o^iry,8ce.  By  Jas.  Montgomery; 


PHYSICAL  SCIENCE. 

The  Principles  of  Physjoloyy,  an- 

and  to  the  finprovement  of  Physi- 
cal and  Mental  Education,  by 
Andrew  Coinbe,  M.|>  ^ 

Letters  of  Euler  on  fjffferent  Sub- 
jects of  Natural  Philosophy.    Ad 
dressed  to  a  German   Princess, 


MrsCELLANEora. 
'"?  m'^""'"'   ^""'«  Sketches  of 

Peril,  Of  ,h.  s,,  ."i,™5"»J 

The  Poor  Slch  Man  and  the  Rich 
Poor  Man.    By  Miss  C.  M.  sSg" 

''Mar^TS'"   ''"^°^'''^-     By 

'^HoSd.'"' »  "•"'"»■     ByMn, 

'^!tear"'"it  n^'^y™"""*  *h0  Polar 
oeas,    By  Uncle  Philip. 


»  ChaHLKH  BitTLKR. 


GoRHAti  D.  Abbott,  &c'y  a.  S.  D.  U.K         ^^^"^'  Seeretarg, 


nonter.  With 
of  Euler,  bv  mr 
n>id  Additionnl 
IriMcom,  j.L.I>. 
r  o(  ifcieniiAi 

SCIENCB. 

th«  Intelieeiual 
nveHditnrion  of 
Abemromblflk 
h  Quemloiiflw 

TRES, 

.  Montgomery. 

:ors. 

Sketphen  of 
f»i«.  niid  Char- 
knwrican  Na- 
liatcher,  Esq. 

IVJIIgg. 

njr  Authentic 
Ktible  aiMl  Af- 
>on  the  Deep. 

nd  the  Rich 
I C.  M.  Sedg 

overed.    By 

•  By  Mra 

*  the  Polar 
Ip. 


[The  publishers  respectfully  and  with  conlidenco 
solicit  the  mvour  and  attention  of  the  public  in  behalf 
of  this  first  attempt  to  render  an  account  of  the 
character  of  the  American  Indians  attractive  to  the 
minds  of  youthful  readers  :  Uiey  believf-  that  it  will 
be  found  to  unite  the  interest  of  truth  with  the  charm 
of  hction,  and  please  the  fancy  while  it  stores  the  mind 
with  valuable  knowledge  respecting  a  race  of  men 
whose  origin,  character,  and    actions   have  always 
proved  a  lertiie  and  favourite  theme  for  speculation 
and  inquiry,  although  perhaps  there  is  no  subject  of 
historical  research  that  has  given  rise  to  so  much  of 
misstatement  and  exaggeration. 

The  publishers  do  not  present  this  work  as  even 
a  sketch  of  the  history  of  the  aborigines,  but  simply 
as  an  outline  of  their  peculiar  character  and  habL, 
lilustrated  with  numerous  anecdotes,  of  which  it  may 
be  proper  to  remark,  that  none  have  been  adopted  in 
this  work  but  such  as  were  established  and  au- 
thenticated beyond  the  possibility  of  doubt  or  con- 
tradiction. 

The  materials  of  these  volumes  were  collected 
by  he  author  while  engaged  in  the  preparation  of 
his  larger  work,  the  "Indian  Lives,"  and  the  exten- 
sive  popularity  of  that  collection  affords  to  the  pub- 
lishers  ground  for  the  belief,  that  the  contents  of  the 

thd^^^^^^^^^  ^'"  P^^^^  '^^^'y  --^Pt-ble  to 

NetV'Yor^,  April,  1833.] 


t  I 


Mi 


? 


(D)  ISr©- IP  AT  ®IT(B  A^ 

BypexTmsswufroinNeagle's   origmal portrait  ia  Oodmani  iJolural  Hiatoiyr 


11  i 


^i^S^  TMAIT0. 


VOL,    3' 


-Bwifal.     HjHrttfu 


ft-MT,'..,'.- 


11  a  a  3, 


I 

11  H 


fl 

j  i 
! 

': 

ij 
i 


M  "'^ 


^Bwu  i-AT.iiiwa:s  A, 


■j't 


■»r^'mi^i..i,it<^MeHfti'-!>   '>ri^.aBl  pora-iut  >«   ^>o<}»u  aii  ifetms .  Hintoij- 


as!ii>i^^  T[a<^' 


BIT 


"^  ^^^^^^^'^%^^  <3^Q^. 


TOX.     I. 


vay^. 


■jffo  &  jr.  JHCAiRipiBTa 


P.nJltt^^ 


harper's  Sttrtotyj^  EdUum. 

INDIAN   TRAITS: 

BEING 

SKETCHES 

OF  THE 

HANKERS,  CUSTOMS.  AND  CHABACTEE 

OP  THE 

NORTH  AMERICAN  NATIVES. 

Br 
B.  B.  THATCHER, 

«»•«  or  ..„„,  „  ™,  ,^      ; 

IN  TWO   VOLUMES. 

VOL.  I. 


NEW- YORK  : 

PUBLISHED  BV  HAnnnn 

"  ^^  HARPER  &  BROTHERS, 

XO.    82    CtlFF-iTRUT 


1839. 


:i  I 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1833, 
I  By  Harpfr  &  Brothers, 

lu  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  Southern  District  of  New-York. 


CONTENTS 


ov 


THE    PIBST    VOLUME. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Gbneral  Comment  on  the  past  and  present  Condition  of 
^e  Indians-The  Tribes  of  M  Je,  Ne^^-H^X^ 
Massachusetts,  Comiecticut,  and  other  Pa^s  ofX  A^ 
WCoast-TheirResourcesinthenat^p;^^^^^^ 

its  Adoption    .''^t^®^;^^  Considerations  which  led  to 

*  •  • 

CHAPTER  11. 
I  Personal  Characteristics  of  the  Indians— ^sf,* 
[    Plexion-Hair~Features-BeaS~Sr"i-?'^""^^°»* 
-Comparison  of  the  MaVf nT  v       f^"'*'^'  ^^  ««' 
Acuteness  of  the  Senl«lA     */"^^Constitution^ 

FootstepsJnfrralV^^^^^  ^  !-^ 

Stoiyof  Old  Scranv— «!fn«,  rTT        ®^  ^^  Indjan*^ 

by  ^e  Seneca^-S7a  ;r' r?'^"'^  "^^'^  ''^^' 
Pi«ka»^-Of  «  ^1---°^-^ '''*''  Wanior^Oi 
-A  -  .«oaexu  laoiaii  Kunner    •       -       . 


9 


22 


^  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  III. 

Ancient  Dress  of  the  Atlantic  and  other  Indians-At  the  '^ 
North  and  the  South-In  Summer  and  Winter-For 
Male  and  Female-Modem  Style  of  Dress-Decoration 
--Greasmg-Pau.ting-Tattooing-Anecdotes  of  Indian 
Vanity  and  Skill  in  Matters  of  Decoration-Anecdote  of 
a  celebrated  Delaware  Warrior       -  ^"^caote  of 

"        •        •    43 

CHAPTER  IV. 

^ -Mc^f nt^'lr  "' '^/  '"''^"^'  ^'^'''^^  ^"d  Southern 
-Mode  of  building,  and  habit  of  moving-Modern  Lodges 

and  Wigwams-Household  Fumiture  described-Va 
nous  Kinds  of  Food-Hominy-Barbacuing-Anecdolrj 
of  Indian  Cookeiy-The  White-fish  of  the  L^s~M^l        ' 
of  taking  it-Sahnon-Catching  Fish  beyond  the  Rociy 
Mountains-Indian  Notions  of  Delicacy'and  ^J^l 
—Canmbahsm— Anecdotes     .       .       .        -^^'"^ess 

CHAPTER  V. 

Account  of  the  State  of  Manufactures  and  other  Arts  amon^ 
thelndian^TheirWeaponsofWar-Theirlt^^^^^^^^^ 
of  Navigation-The  log  and  the  bark  Canoe,  ofTJen 
and  modern  Times,  and  Mode  of  building  each--cLaS 
LandofTrees-KindlingFire--AnecdotLofIndianNa^? 
gation  of  the  Northern  Lakce-Skill  of  Ind.r  W 

in  the  U.e  of  the  Paddle-PoeticJ' Cr^L^-Jh: 
Birch  Cano.  -The  Snow-shoe-The  Sledg^T  jUe! 

tmin-Agnculturallmplements-AnecdoteffromMS 
sue's  Travels  in  the  >Vest        .       .  *™mm  Jien- 

-       -       .    84 

CHAPTER  VI. 

""^^oSihif '/m'''.'"'''"'--^^"^*^  ^«  *^«^  Modes  of 
Courtship  and  Mamage^Customs  of  different  Tribes^ 


56 


CONTENTS. 


lians— At  the 
Winter-- For 
■—Decoration 
tes  of  Indian 
-Anecdote  of 


nd  Southern 
'dern  Lodges 
cribed— Va- 
— Anecdotes 
akes— Mode 
i  the  Rocky 
i  Daintiness 


Arts  among 
nstruments 
,  of  ancient 
I — Clearing 
fidian  Navi- 
an  Women 
tiin  of  the 
-The  Dog. 
amM'Ken- 


84 


The  Knistenaux— The  Chippewas— Account  of  Mr.  Tan- 
ner's  Courtship  and  Matrimony— Anecdotes  of  Indian 
Girls — The  Legend  of  Wawanosh 104 

CHAPTER  Vn. 

Domestic  Life  continued— Divorce  or  Separation — Polyga- 
my—Anecdote of  a  Delaware— Division  of  Duties  be- 
tween Husband  and  Wife— Domestic  Festivals— Maple- 
sugar  making— Education  of  Children— Anecdotes  of 
Tanner  and  the  Indians  with  whom  he  lived — ^Names  of 
Children  ........ 


va 


CHAPTER  VIIL 


Modes  of 
t  Tribes-* 


Anecdotes  of  Indian  hunting— Modes  of  hunting  the  grizzly 
Bear  of  the  North-west— Of  the  black  or  brown  Bear  of 
the  North— Of  the  Beaver— Of  the  Otter— Of  the  Porcu- 
pine— Of  the  Rattlesnake — Various  Superstitions  in  rela- 
tion to  some  of  these  Animals — Travellers'  Anecdotes  of 
Indian  hunting        ........  ^54 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Hunting  continued— Mode  of  hunting  the  Racoon— Anec- 
dotes of  Deer-hunting  in  ancient  Times— The  Deer 
hunted  by  the  Wolf— Anecdotes  of  Moose,  Reindeer,  and 
Elk-hunting— Practices  of  the  Dog-rib  and  other  Indians 
of  the  North — Of  the  Penobscots  and  other  more  south- 
em  Tribes — ^Hunting  among  the  Rocky  Mountains        -  178 

CHAPTER  X. 

Anecdotes  of  Hunting  continued — Modes  of  hunting  the 
common  or  Indian  Deer— Uses  of  the  Animal  to  the  In- 
dians—Fire-hunting— The  Bison,  or  Buffalo— Its  Uses 
— Modes  of  hunting  it — Superstitions  of  the  Indians  in 
relation  to  Hunting  in  general— Use  of  Charms— Medi- 
cine-hunting—Hunting  Feasts        .       ,      .  .199 


tUi 


8 


CONTENTS. 


fi 


.. 


li 


! 


/if 

■if 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Sketches  of  Indian  fishing— Trout  snpon-r,    •    *v  r»m 

L.ke.-F«hmg  of  .hf  wlCS^^r^T 

•-eep,  and  ne,.fidu„g  of  ft,  Lu^^^  ^1^70::^ ' 

■       •       -       •       -214 
CHAPTER  Xn. 
Games  and  Sports  of  the  Naw  p«„i    j  t  ,. 
Canadians-Of  the  Lake^ri^'o??.  ''''T^'''  '^- 
-Game  of  Reeds-Of  Zt^TrnTB^ '':'''' 
andotherBaIl-plavinff-"Rnnnh^ll  Vt  u    ^^^^^'"^^ 
and  Racing- Variou!  ,,,     7"^^^^^  Labour"-Riding 

nected  with  Games        !  ^°"^"^""*- Superstitions  con- 

-223 


;:  « 


Ui 


in  the  northern 
-Fishing  Ma- 
ootkas— Crail, 
rribes— Cane. 
3m  M'Kenzie, 


INTRODUCTION. 


lians— Of  the 
uthem  Tribes 
"— Baggatiwa, 
our"— Riding 
rf  the  Tribes 
rstitions  con- 


•2S3 


CHAPTER  I. 

General  comment  on  the  past  and  present  condition  of  the 
Indians — ^The  tribes  of  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Massachu' 
setts,  Connecticut,  and  other  parts  of  the  Atlantic  coast — ^Their 
resources  in  the  natural  productions  of  the  country — The  Five 
Nations  of  New  York — The  more  Southern  tribes — Summary 
view  of  tlie  Indians  us  they  now  are,  within  the  territory  of 
the  United  States — Plan  of  this  volume — Some  considerations 
«vhich  led  to  its  adoption. 

Two  centuries  ago,  the  entire  surface  of  this 
vast  American  continent  was  covered  with  an 
Indian  population.  From  the  Atlantic  Ocean 
to  the  Pacific,  and  from  the  broad  waters  of 
Canada  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  the  Red  Man 
roamed  in  his  native  wilderness,  fearless  and 
free  as  the  deer  that  fled  from  the  sound  of  his 
footstep.  The  smoke  of  his  wigwam  rose 
peacefully  from  every  hill-side  and  every  river- 
bank  of  the  sunny  South.  The  green  woods 
of  the  North  echoed  to  the  voice  of  the  hunter. 

Tlifi  nrairJpc  nf  iha  Tllin<%ic.  o«#4  ♦!,«  "wr-.T — i 


10 


INTRODUCTION. 


J 


I  !i 


but  so  many  battle-fields  for  the  warrior  of  the 

A  few  particulars  respecting  tlie  power  of  the 
Ind-ansatthe  date  referred  to,  wUl  p"ce  ,W 

ries  of  r/-"°"^  ''Sht.     Witl,i„  the\ounda- 
nes  of  what  ,s  now  called  the  State  of  Maine, 

,  noi  lar  horn  the  commencement  of  the 
~ee„.h  centnry,  and  but  a  few  years  befl 
the  settlement  of  Plymouth,  -eleven  thou- 
sand  savages  of  various  tribes.     Some  of  them 

even  long  after  the  whites  commenced  their 
se  dements  n  Aat  Province  (so  called,)  as^ 
only  to  6,ve  them  great  trouble,  but  d  ^Z 
frequent  and  bloody  conflict  with  the  reS 

confe  eracies,  each  of  which  consistef  oTst- 
Sat':t    ""'^^  ""''"  °°^  ^''■■^^  S-"--. - 

the^sll''''  *'  .P*^^^^*^^'  tribes  inhabited 
Ae  «,uthem  section  of  New  Hampshire.   The 

2./  ."'  "•"'"^^'^  «««%  the  shore  of 

♦hat  large  and  beautiful  bay  which  still  be^ 


™ 


warrior  of  the 

e  power  of  the 
will  place  this 

1  the  bounda- 
ate  of  Maine, 

2  been  at  that 
cement  of  the 
V  years  before 
•eleven  thou- 
»ome  of  ihcm 

in  numbers, 
iJenced  their 
ailed,)  as  not 
but  to   wage 

the  remote 
and  with  the 

m 

gland,  south 
iarge  Indian 
sted  of  sev- 
Sachem,  or 


5s  inhabited 

shire.   The 

^e  shore  of 

stiJl  bears 


INTRODUCTION. 


11 


I 


their  name,  and  were  resident  at  what  are  now 
Salem,  Charlestown,  Saugus,  Lynn,  the  islands 
in  Boston  harbor,  and  many  other  places. 
The    PoKANOKETS,    that    confederacy   of 
I  which  the  celebrated  King  Philip,    (as  the 
iEnglish  entided  him)  afterwards  became   the 
nruler,  lived  in  different  parts  of  Plymouth  and 
Barnstable  counties  in  Massachusetts,  and  Bris- 
[tol  county  in  Rhode  Island;  and  they  were  the 
Joriginal  owners  of  the  soil  of  Plymouth,  which 
^e  Pilgrims,  however,  on  their  arrival  upon  the 
coast  in  1620,  found  wholly  deserted.     There 
*were  nine  of  these  Pokanoket  tribes. 
^    The  Narraghansetts  covered  the  whole 
|of  Rhode  Island  itself,  as  well  as  a  number  of 
I  smaller  neighboring   islands  in  and  about  that 
f  fine  body  of  water  which  is  called  Narraghansett 
I  Bay  to  this  time.     They  could  muster  not  less 
I  than  four  thousand  bowmen  for  war;  and  as  it 
I  is  believed  that  the  bowmen  of  an  Indian  tribe 
I  were  generally  about  three  out  of  ten  of  their 
*  entire  population,  there  must  have  been  at  least 
twelve  thousaad  of  the  Narraghansetts  in  all. 

There  were  as  many  of  the  Pequots  in  Con- 
necticut, besides  several  other  tribes  not  attach- 
ed to  that  powerful  confederacy,  making  the  total 
number  of  about  twpntv  tKrx.,oo«j  t^j: -j 


IS 


! 


:    ^ 


INTRODUCTION. 


ing  wuhm  Ae  limits  of  that  single  small  state. 
As  late  as  the  year  1633,  the  tribes  living  on 

bring  three  thousand  warriors   into   the   i5eld. 

Wthm  the  town  of  Windsor,  (now  so  called 
Jere  were  as  many  as  ten  different  Indian  set- 

fetnents;  and  nearly  forty  years  afterwards, 
n  1670,  jnst  before  Philip's  war  broke  out 
there  were  nineteen  savages  to  one  English  set- 
tler  w,th,„  that  territoty.  A  large  bod/of  thei 
Wed  m  the  centre  of  the  township,  and  there - 
was  at  that  time  a  strong  Indian  fortress  a  little 
north  of  the  flat  on  which  the  first  meeting- 
house was  afterwards  erected. 

At  Milford,  which  the  natives  called  Wopow- 
ege,  and  especially  at  the  southern  part  of  that 
townshtp,  Milford   Point,  they  resided  in  inl 
mense  numbers ;  and  the  shells,  and  tools  of 
various  descriptions,  which  they  strewed  over 
the  soil  m  that  vicinity,  accumulated  in   such 
qnantities  that  they  have  never  been  dug  or 
ploughed  through  by  the   whites    r  en  to   the 
present  day.     This  tribe  had  a   ,<■ .  v    built 
forffication,  with  flankers  at  the  mur  comers,      : 
about  half  a  mile  north  of  Stratford  ferry      In      ' 
what  ,s  now  Huntington,  there  were,  in  1633 
ohTut  three  hundred  warriors,  although  they  had 


INTRODUCTION. 


;le  small  state, 
ribes  living  on 
3r,  alone,  could 
nto   the   field, 
ow  so  called,) 
ent  Indian  set- 
fs   afterwards, 
Jr  broke   out, 
e  English  set- 
body  of  them 
jpj  and  there- 
Jrtress  a  little 
first  meeting- 
lied  Wopow- 
1  pare  of  that 
sided  in  ini- 
ind  tools  of 
trewed  over 
ted  in   such 
•een  dug   or 
5^  en  to   the 
'^^tly    built 
•ur  comers, 
ferry.     In 
s,  in  1633, 
?h  they  had 


Id 


tlien  recently  lost  a  large  number  of  men  in  the 
I  incessant  wars  which  they  carried  on  with  the 
i  Mohawks,  and  with  other  savages  of  New  York 
as  well  as  Connecticut. 

In  explanation  of  this  extraordinary  degree 
of  populousness  in  the  section  last  described, 
it  should  be  observed,  in  passing,  that  perhaps 
no  part  of  the  American  continent  was  better 
adapted  to  the  manner  of  living  adopted  by  the 
Indians,  or  more  capable  of  supporting  a  numer- 
ous savage  population  in  comparative  comfort 
v,and  ease. 

f      The  great  fertility  of  the  soil,  especially  on 
the  banks  of  the  rivers,  no  less  than  the  healthi- 
ness of  the   climate,    attracted    them   in  large 
numbers  to  this  part  of  New  England.     The 
earth  produced,  spontaneously,  a  vast  variety  of 
wild  fruits.     In  the  groves  were  walnuts,  chest- 
nuts, butter-nuts,  hazel-nuts  and  acorns.     Wild 
cherries,  currants  and  plums,  were  natural  pro- 
ductions.    Grapes  grew  in  abundance  on  the 
low  lands,  by  the  borders  of  brooks  and  rivers. 
The  fields  were  full  of  delicious  strawberries, 
blackberries,   raspberries,  whortleberries,  bill- 
berries,    blueberries,    mulberries,  cranberries; 
and  not  to  mention  those  vegetable  productions 


m    which  were  valuable  to  tbfi  TnHJnno  fi 
--— —  —  —  — ..i^^^^^f^  ^^ 


u 


liii 


*|i  ' 


ll 

Hi 


14 


INTRODTTCTIOW. 


for  medichie,  ground-nuts,  wJld  pease  and  leeks, 
plantain,  radish,  antichokes,  and  many  other 
nutritive  roots  and  herbs  might  be  gathered  in 
every  direction. 

^■or  was  the  country  less  productive  of  wild 
animals,  the  chase  and  spoils  of  which  furnished 
at  once  the  amusement  and  the  wealth  of  the 
tawny  hunter.     In  the  woods  there  were  plenty 
of  deer,   moose,  bears,  turkeys,  herons,   par- 
tridges  andquails.    Of  pigeons,  there  were  such 
incredible  numbers  when  the  English  first  began 
to  settle  in  Connecticut,  as  to   fill  them  with 
amazement.     Such  extensive  flocks  would  be 
seen,  at  certain  seasons,  flying  for  some  hours 
in  the  morning,  as  absolutely  to  darken  the  sun. 
An  old  historian  says,— « It  passeth  credit,    if 
but  the  truth  were  written.' 

The  finest  furs  were  taken  from  the  otter, 
the  beaver,  the  black,  gray  and  red  fox,  the 
racoon,  mink,  musk-rat  and  other  animals  o^  the 
same  class.  The  wolf  and  wild-cat  were  so 
numerous  here,  as  well  as  in  other  parts  of 
New  England,  after  the  English  settlements 
commenced,  as  to  prove  exceedingly  trouble- 
some to  the  farmers. 

« .-  ^x  ^,coc  uiicurnsiances  m   the  situation 
of  the  Coimeeticut  natives,  let  it  be  added,  that 


INTRODUCTION. 


15 


ase  and  leeks, 

many  other 

e  gathered  in 

ictive  of  wild 
lich  furnished 
wealth  of  the 
B  were  plenty 
herons,   par- 
re  were  such 
sh  first  began 
1  them  with 
cs  would  be 
'  some  hours 
ken  the  sun. 
h  credit,    if 

ti  the  otter, 
3d  fox,  the 
limals  of  the 
at  were  so 
er  parts  of 
settlements 
%\y  trouble- 

le  situation 
added,  that 


they  found  the  most  delightful  haunts  for  their 
humble  but  favorite  navigation  in  the  innumera- 
We  bays,  creeks >  rivers  and  ponds  of  the  interior 
and  the  coast ;  that  these  beautiful  bodies  of 
water  swarmed  with  an  exhaustless  abundance  of 
wild  geese,  ducks,  wigeons,  sheldrapes,  broad- 
bills,  teal,  and  other  fine  water-fowl;  and  finally, 
that  almost  every  excellent  species  of  fish  and 
shell-fish  which  the  savage  appetite  might  riot 
upon, — ^not  the  least  esteemed  of  which  was 
the  salmon, — ^rewarded  the  shghtest  labor  of 
the  indolent  native  with  an  ample  store  of  pala- 
table and  wholesome  food.  ; 

The  remarks  we  have  made  upon  the  natural 
advantages  of  Connecticut,  as  a  residence  for  the 
Indians,  apply,  in  many  respects,  to  all  the  Mid- 
dle and  Southern  States,  as  they  are  now  called, 
along  the  Atlantic  Coast,  and  to  an  immense 
interior  territory  beside.  Hence  there  was 
found  in  Pennsylvania,  New-Jersey,  Delaware 
and  Maryland,  by  the  first  colonists  from  Eu- 
rope, a  dense  Indian  population,  living,  for  the 
most  part,  on  the  shores  of  the  large  bays  and 
beautiful  rivers  of  that  section  of  the  country,  in 
all  the  luxury  of  wild  abundance. 

The  Mohawks  and  four  other  tribes  of  New 
York,  constituting  the  celebrated  confederacy 


16 


INTRODUCTION. 


iiiii 


m 


|;1 


entitled  the  Five  Nations,  had  arrived  to  such 
a  degree  of  power  by  their  numbers  and  their 
political  and  warlike  qualities,  as  at  length  to 
hold  all  the  other  tribes  from  Canada  to   Vir- 
ginia in  perpetual  dread  of  their  inroads.     A 
Mohawk  warrior,  it  is  said,  could  not  appear 
for  a  moment  on  the  hills  of  Connecticut,  but 
the  villages  of  that  populous  district  would  be 
instamly  filled  with  confusion  and  uproar;   and 
the  boldest  warrior  oftentimes  did  not  hesitate  to 
seek  safety  in  breathless  flight.     All  the  tribes 
which  resided  along  the  banks  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence and  the  Northern  Lakes,  stood  in  fear  of 
the  Five  Nations.     They  once  conquered  even 
the   Virginian    Indians,  west  of  the   Allegha- 
nies;  and  they  warred  against  the  Cherokees 
Catawbas,  and  other  formidable  nations  of  the 
far  South. 

In  Virginia,  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia,  were 
still  other  tribes,  and  some  of  them  even  more 
populous  than  any  yet  described.  Eastern 
Virgima  was  so  thickly  populated  when  the  first 
settlement  was  made  at  Jamestown  by  the  Eng- 
lish,  that  within  sixty  miles  of  that  place  there 
were  five  thousand  savages,  of  whom  one  thou- 

sand    anrJ    fit7o    1^.,^^^ I     .  _^ 

,„^  ..«iiuicu    were   warriors.     The 
Creeks  in  Georgia,  and  the  Yamassees  in  Caro- 


m 


INTRODUCTION. 


17 


ived  to  such 
srsand  their 
at  length  to 
ida  to   Vir- 
nroads.     A 
not  appear 
ecticut,  but 
t  would  be 
proar;   and 
t  hesitate  to 
the  tribes 
3  St.  Law- 
i  in  fear  of 
uered  even 
i   Allegha- 
^herokees, 
3ns  of  the 

rgia,  were 

ven  more 

Eastern 

in  the  first 

the  Eng- 
lace  there 
one  thou- 
rs.     The 

in  Caro- 


lina, also  mustered  a  large  fighting  forco.  The 
Cherokees  originally  occupied  for  their  hunting- 
grounds,  and  defended  by  their  arms,  more  than 
thirty-six  millions  of  acres,  including  either  the 
whole  or  a  greater  part  of  several  of  what  are 
now  Southern  and  Western  States.  So  late  as 
only  a  century  since,  (when  the  first  settlements 
were  made  in  Georgia,)  they  could  bring  six 
thousand  bowmen  into  the  field;  and  they  had 
quite  a  number  of  tolerably  well  built  and  strong- 
ly fortified  towns. 

Such,  two  centuries  ago,  was  the  condition 
i  of  the  Indian  population  along  the  Atlantic  shore. 
They  were,  indeed,  often  at  war  with  each 
other,  and  with  the  savages  of  the  West;  and 
they  were  sometimes  exposed  to  the  ravages  of 
pestilence.  But  generally  they  lived  in  cir- 
cumstances of  health,  security  and  ease.  The 
woods  and  the  waters  supplied  them  with  their 
abundant  livehhood,  almost  without  eflbrt.  The 
hunter's  game  was  all  around  him,  and  above 
him,  in  the  streams,  forests  and  skies  of  his 
native  land.  And,  above  all,  he  was  not  only 
hardy,  patient  and  brave,  able  to  encounter  the 
elements,  and  fearless  to  meet  his  foe  in  the 
n*?ld  of  batde;  but  he  was  a  free  man.  The 
mountain  eagle  that  screamed  over  the  slow- 


18 


INTRODUCTION. 


0 


hi 


m 


n 


soanng  smoke  of  his  wigwam,  was  not  freer 
than  him  who  dwelt  beneath  that  humble  roof. 
And  now  let  w  briefly  consider  the  condition 
01  this  same  people  at  the  present  day.     The 
same  people,  we  say;  but  in  too  many  instances 
are  they  as  different  as  adverse  circumstances 
could  render  them.     In  many  others,  they  have 
been  driven  back  before  the  advance  of  civilized 
population  into  the  far-off  wilds  of  the  remote 
West  and  the  frozen  North.     In  others  still, 
they  have  ceased  to  be  known  as  a  people  al  - 
all;  and  their  very  name  itself  has  nearly  passed 
from  the  memory  of  the  white  men. 

We  find  the  cellars  of  their  wigwams  in  our 
old  pastures  moss-grown  and  yawning.  We 
decipher  the|r  rude  inscriptions  on  the  rocks  of 

^o'tlr*'  ,7^  '■"'"''■''  P'-'^Sh,  perhaps,  turns 
up  the  mouldering  relics  of  their  ancient  dead,- 

That  remnant  of  a  martial  brow, 

S«'°,"'*'^""'"  "'«  "ighty  heart,' 

That  .tronj  arm-Ah  !  'f.^ ,4^„ga,L  my,:* 

ticut    tf"? '°\"''  ^"''"'^'''  *«  Connec- 
ticut,  the   Susquehannah,   the   Potomac,   the 

♦Bn^nt.    And  well  might  the  poet  add  —  ^^^^^^^^ ' 

«^^-afcrf£|i«-..pa«. 

The  ««,>„■!  ;:;'""  =^"'^  ^peaK  or  where 
A  lie  awful  likeness  was  impressed! 


mL 


INTRODUCTION. 


19 


as  not  freer 
humble  roof, 
the  condition 

day.  The 
my  instances 
rcunistances 
•s,  they  have 
3  of  civilized 

the  remote 
others  still, 
a  people  at  - 
sarly  passed 

ams  in  our 
ning.  We 
he  rocks  of 
fhaps,  turns 
5nt  dead, — 

low:* 

e  Connec- 
>mac,  the 
md  Ohio, 

spare. 


,<■ 
e 


the  great  « Father  of  the  Western  Waters,'— all 
the  noblest  rivers  of  the  country  bear  to  tl.is 
hour  the  titles  given  them  by  the  primeval 
lords  of  the  land.  The  bright  waves  of  Mas- 
sachusetts Bay,  and  the  currents  of  the  broad 
Chesapeake, 

"  Still  roll  as  they  rolled  that  day, — " 
But  the  Red  Men,  where  are  they? 

In  the  whole  compass  of  the  immense  terri- 
tory belonging  to  the  United  States,  extending 
from  one  side  of  the  continent  to  the  other, 
there  are  computed  to  be  about  300,000  remain- 
ing of  at  least  two  millions  who  inhabited  the 
same  region  at  the  date  of  the  settlement  of 
Jamestown  and  Plymouth,  and  for  unknown 
centuries  before.  The  following  are  the  names 
and  supposed  numbers  of  the  principal  tribes 
which  make  up  this  total  amount,  as  they 
were  carefully  computed  a  few  years  since: — 
Choctaws,  20,000  Assineboins,  8,000 
20,000  Potawatamies,  5,500 
20,000  Winnebagoes,  6,800 
15,000     Sacs,  6,800 

15,000     Osages,  5,000 

15,000     Menominies,       4,200 
15,000     Crows,  4,500 

12,000    Arripahas,  4,000 


Snakes, 

Creeks, 

Cherokees, 

Black  Feet, 

Chippewas, 

Sioux, 

Pawnees, 


30 


i      •':« 


INTRODUCTION', 


Semwoles,         4,000    Ottawas,  4,000 

Chickasaws,       3,600    Algonquins,        3  000 

wT\u    T,    ^'°°^    36  small  tribes,  41,600 
West  ofAeRocIcy  Mountains,  '  80,000 

In  Vermont,  New  Hampshire,  and  several 
other  States,  none  are  left.     In  all  Maine,  Mas- 
sachusetts,   Rhode    Island,   Connecticut    and 
V.rg.n.a  together,  there  are  less  (han  2,500. 
The  celebrated  Five  Nations  of  New  Yo^k  are 
reduced  to  about  the  same  number.      Even  of 
Aose  who  are  left,  a  large  proportion  are  not 
only  so  much  debased  by  the  force  of  circum- 

Sr  ^?"'  "■"  "PP- ''-after)  as  tX 
Jttle  moral  resemblance  to  their  brave  and  har- 
dy ancestors;  but  they  are  in  many  instances 

acU,aUybuthalf-breed,or  less  than  Jf,-thTr! 
suh  of  an  abandoned  intercourse  between  their 
degraded  savage  parents  and  the  basest  ofle 
whues  who  live  aro,„d  and  among  them. 

Such  were  the  American  Indians  in  the  days 
of  the,r  prosperity,  and  such  are  they  now.     I 
js  th,s  extraordinary  but  unfortunate  people  to 
the  description  of  whose  manners,  customs,  in- 

^.11  be^hiefly  devoted.  The  sad  ffct  thaf;: 
SorS  '''Senerated  and  disappeared  in  the 
deplorable  mamier  we  have  Just  shown,-and 


•f 


INTRODUCTION. 


^1 


4,000 

h        3,000 
bes,41,600 
80,000 
and  several 
faine,  Mas- 
cticut    and 
ban  2,500. 
w  York  are 
Even  of 
>n  are  not 
3f  circum- 
as  to  bear 
e  and  har- 
instances 
r? — the  re- 
^een  their 
5st  of  the 
3m. 

the  days 
now.     It 
>eople  to 
toms,  in- 
chapters 
■  that  the 
d  in  the 
n, — and 


|yet  more,  the  fact  that  the  scanty  remnants  of  their 
f  tribes  which  still  linger  on  the  frontiers  are  be- 
t  coming  fewer  and  feebler  from  day  to  day — 
ought  by  no  means  to  make  them  an  object  of 
indiiferent  or   contemptuous   regard.     On  the 
contrary,  they  should  add  to  the  interest,    as 
they  will  undoubtedly  add  to  the  value,  of  all 
tlie  faithful  information  which  can  be  collected 
f  concerning  them.     The  time  will  come  but  too 
V  soon,  we  fear,  when  the  history  of  the  Indians 
will  be  the  history  of  a  people  of  which  no 
living  specimen  shall  exist  upon  the  earth; — too 
soon  will  the  places  that  now  know  them  know 
them   never   again.       Their  council-fires   will 
have  gone  out  upon  the  green  hills  of  the  South. 
f  Their  canoes  shall  plough  no  more  the  bosom 
of  the  Northern  Lakes.     Even  the  prairies  and 
^  mountains  of  the  far  West  will  cease  to  be  their 
^  refuge  from  the  rushing'  march  of  civilization. 
Their  forests  will  be  felled:  their  game  will  dis- 
appear:  and  then, — if  indeed   no   portion   of 
them  can  be  rescued  by  benevolence  from  the 
grave  of  heathenism, — if  no  blessed  ray  of  the 
P   knowledge  of  man  or  the  saving  truth  of  Hea- 
2   ven  shall  lighten  the  gloom  of  the  wilderness, — 
hen  will  the  last  Indian  stand  upon  the  verge 
f  the  Pacific  seas,  and  his  sun  will  have  gone 
iown  forever. 


22 


PERSONAL   TRAITS. 


i; 


im 


CHAPTER  II. 

Flee.nM,and  hardihood  of  A,TS  =       "«  f""""!*- 

yo»nS  a,ioWw  Warrio  Jp  T^'^at  ^'"T"-^' 
Indian  runner.  i-"karet~  Jf  a  modern 

spell  of  th°"n-"^  ?'«''.''"  '^'^^  fr«q"ently 
speak  of  the  Indians  m  a  past  tense.-as  if  they 

indeed  the  fact,  as  we  have  already  stated    in 

ITel"  ?rt  "??i°"«y  °f 'hose  whoi" 
J^hvedw„h,nthe«mitsofthe  United  States. 
A^d  these  also  were  the  Indians,  who,  of  the 

whderace,havebeenbestknow„'tothe'wls 
aescnption  of  the  race.     It  will  also  be  a  dp 

:^f":bH''^r'"^--s-'"h!:;att 

state,— which  could  not  be  said  gonerallv  of 
those  feeble  and  degraded  tribes,  a^d  !  2^ 
tnbes,  that  are  still  to  be  seen  oil  the  f"ll 
"'  ««  country,  or  in  the  midst  of  our';;hU; 


.* 


i!i 


PERSONAL   TRAITS. 


ss 


51ANS— Stature— 
eculiaritlesofgait 
istitution— Acute- 
acing  footsteps — 
oryofOIdScrany 
e  Senecas— Of  a 
T~  'Jf  a  modern 


1  frequently 
, — as  if  they 
'•  Such  is 
y  stated,  in 
who  former- 
ited  States, 
ivho,  of  the 
the  whites. 

i  mode  of 
it  accurate 
3  be  a  de- 
his  native 
JneralJy  of 

i  parts  of 

2  fronti*»ro 

—  —  — -— »v^au 

our  white 


population,  and  with  which  alone  we  of  the 
present  day  are  chiefly  acquainted. 

As  for  those  more  distant  and  less  degenerat- 
ed savages,  who  reside  in  the  neighborhood  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  in  other  sections  of 
the  Continent  where  they  have  learned  litde  of 
the  white  man  but  perhaps  his  name,  the  descrip- 
tion we  shall  give  of  the  Atlantic  Indians  as  they 
were,  will  very  nearly  apply  to  them  as  they  are. 
So  far,  however,  as  there  may  appear  to  be 
any  traits  of  an  important  difference  between  the 
two  classes,  whether  in  matters  of  customs,  con- 
dition, or  character,  we  shall  take  occasion 
hereafter  carefully  to  point  them  out,  on  the 
authority  of  faithful  and  intelligent  travellers. 

The  Indians  are  very  generally  of  either  the 
middling  or  largest  stature  of  the  English,  al- 
though not  only  individuals  but  whole  tribes 
*,  -!  met  with  who  fall  rather  below  the 

'^ight  of  the  whites.     The  Shawanees 


avt' 


and  J-  cdwares  recently  residing  in  Ohio,  and  the 
savages  of  the  Northern  Lakes  and  the  Upper 
Mississippi  are  among  this  class.  On  the  other 
hand,  most  of  those  who  live  in  the  middle 
regions  of  the  Missouri,  including  the  warlike 

ougT^,?,  oixu  iiiu   i-fiwu-a.  yji.     x^ai^v^lalis,   iXSKi    uuiic 

tall,  as  well  as  finely  proportioned  in  other  re- 


24 


PERSONAL    THAITS. 


I 


5' 


m 


■i  :l 


spects.  There  is  perhaps  no  Indian,  or  indeed 
white  man,  on  the  continent,  who  appears  to 
better  advantage  than  an  Osage,  mounted  on  his 
war-horse. 

The  New  England  and  other  Atlantic  Indians 
were  almost  universally  large,  straight  and  well- 
proportioned,  with  limbs  which  might  serve  as 
a  model  for  the  sculptor  of  the  human  frame  in 
marble.     An  instance  of  natural  deformity  was 
so  rarely  to  be  met  with,  that  most  of  the  old 
histonans  declare  they   never  saw  an   Indian ' 
dwarfish,  crooked,  or  bandy-legged.*    The  cor- 
pulence of  some  of  the  whites  was  so  strange 
to  them  as  to  be  a  subject  of  derision.     We 
have  never  heard,  in  modern  times,  of  more 
than  two  or  three  corpulent  Indians. 

Their  complexion,  which  is  one  of  their  most 
obvious  characteristics,  is  commonly  described 
as  coi);)er-colored.     That  term  does  not,  how- 
ever, convey  an  exact  idea  of  the  fact.     The 
children,  when  born,  are  nearly  as  light  as  those 
of  the   English.     The   skin   gradually   grows 
harder  and  darker,  until  at  a  mature  age  it  is  not 
far  from  the  color  of  well-smoked  bacon.     How 
["^chdi^result  is  owing  to  their  habit  of  greas- 

of*the"  Indian'^''  °""*^''"'  aaubsequent  chapter  on  the  diseaaet 


L 


PERSONAL   TRAITS. 


15 


iian,  or  indeed 
10  appears  to 
nounted  on  his 

tlantic  Indians 
light  and  well- 
night  serve  as 
iman  frame  in 
deformity  was 
St  of  the  old 
w  an   Indian' 
.*    The  Cor- 
as so  strange 
3rision.     We 
nes,  of  more 

IS. 

of  their  most 
ily  described 
es  not,  how- 
e  fact.     The 
light  as  those 
ually   grows 
5  age  it  is  not 
icon.     How 
bit  of  greas- 

on  the  diseaset 


I 


ing  the  face,  their  exposure  to  the  sun,  and  the 
smoke  which  never  fails  to  abound  in  their 
wigwams,  it  would  be  di/Bcuh  to  determine. 
There  are  some  Indians  at  the  present  day, 
chiefly  of  the  most  southern  tribes,  very  nearly 
as  black  as  an  ordinary  negro,  although  the  eye 
of  one  who  is  familiar  mtli  the  two  races,  will 
easily  distinguish  a  shade  of  difference  between 
the  complexions  of  those  who  in  this  particular 
resemble  each  other  most. 

The  hair  of  the  American  savages,  still  more 
.decidedly  than  their  color,  distinguishes  them 
from  all  other  people.  It  is  uniformly,  in  each 
of  the  sexes,  black,  until  changed  by  age,  when 
it  not  unfrequently  becomes  gray,  like  the  hair 
of  the  whites.  It  is  often  described  also  as 
lanky — in  reference  to  a  peculiar  appearance 
which  it  is  easier  to  remember,  after  once  seeing 
it,  than  to  describe.  It  hangs  in  knots,  which 
look  as  though  greased,  as  indeed  they  generally 
are.  It  is  much  finer  than  the  hair  of  a  horse's 
mane,  but  in  other  respects  resembles  it. 

The  forehead  is  broad,  and  almost  invariably 
retreating  in  some  degree;  the  nose  prominent, 
and  in  the  male  Indian,  commonly  aquiline;  the 
nostrils  at  the  base  remarkably  expanded;  the 
lips  intermediate  between  the  thinness  |f  the 

3 


IH 


# 


26 


PRRflONAL   TRAIT8. 


whites  and  the  thickness  of  the  negroes.  The 
cheek  bones  are  high  and  strongly  marked, 
making  the  face,  in  a  line  below  the  eyes,  un- 
commonly wide.     The  eyes  are  black  with  very 


rare  exceptions;  but  of  a  shade  of  blackness 
more  like  what  we  call  such  in  the  black  eye 
of  an  Italian  or  a  Spaniard,  than  in  that  of  the 
Indian. 

It  has  been  said,  that  the  American  savages 
are  naturally  beardless,  and  without  hair  on  the 
bodies;  but  jhis  undoubtedly  is  a  mistake. 
A.-ef  are  aliuost  universally  in  the  habit   of 


'■A.m 


egroes.  The 
ngly  marked, 
the  eyes,  un- 
lack  with  very 


*s 


PERSONAL   TRAITS. 


27 


V 

of  blackness 
^e  black  eye 
n  that  of  the 

•lean  savages 

It  hair  on  the 

a    mistake. 

le  habit  of 


plucking  out  the  beard  with  a  kind  of  tweezers 
made  for  the  purpose.     Before  the  Europeans 
came  among  them,  this  apparatus  was  simply  a 
pair  of  muscle-shells,    sharpened   on  a  gritty 
stone,  and  made  to  operate  tolerably  well  in  the 
fashion  of  a  pair  of  pincers.     In  modern  times 
they  frequently  use  wire.     Tweezers  are  made 
of  this,  and  often  carried  about  with  them  in 
their  tobacco-pouch,  to  be  used  as  necessity  or 
leisure  may  suggest.  .  They  perform  the  opera- 
tion in  a  very  quick  manner,  much  like  a  cook's 
j)lucking  of  a  fowl;  and  the  oftener  they  pluck 
but  the  hair,  the  finer  it  grows  afterwards,  so 
|that  at  last  there  appears  scarcely  any.     The 
easons  of  this  custom  are  stated  differently  by 
themselves,  as  well  as   by  travellers;  but  no 
doubt  the  chief  object   in  view  is  to  have  a 
clean  skin  to  paint  on  when  they  dress  them- 
I  selves  for  festivals  and  for  war.     Most  of  them 
^  also   consider  it   unmanly  to   wear  hair ;   and 
some  of  them  go  so  far  as  to  say  it  would  liken 
them  too  much  to  hogs. 
f      In  the  gait  of  the  Indians  there  is  something 
so  peculiar  as  to  enable  a  person  who  is  in  the 
1  habit  of  seeing  them  to  distinguish  one  of  them, 
I  at  a  considerable  distance,  from  a  white  man. 
The  legs,  both  of  the  male  and  female,  have  a 


■:m 


28 


ill 


lii 


i! 


|!||li  ! 


PERSONAL   TRAITS. 


remarkable  curve,  still  more  obvious  than  that 
of  the  negro.     In  walking  they  scarcely  ever 
fail  to  place  one  foot  in  a  right  line  before  the 
other,  and  seldom  turn  their  toes  aside  from 
that  line;  and  in  this  way  they  readily  distin- 
guish  the  track  of  their  own  people  from  that 
of  the  whites.     They  walk,  too,  the  one  di- 
rectly  behind  the  other,  in  what  is  called  *  In- 
dianfih.^     Mr.  Flint  says,  in  his  Geography 
and  History  of  the  Western  States,  <'  We  have 
frequently  seen   the    husband   and   wife,    the 
mother  and  daughter,  the  father  and  son,  and 
even  two  equal  aged  young  men,  walking  to- 
gether  apparently  engaged  in  earnest  conversa- 
tion; but  never  advancing  abreast.'' 

Some  writers  have  asserted,  that  the  frailer 
form  of  the  female  sex,  in  whatever  country,  is 
owing,  not  to  a  difference  of  organization,  but 
to  their  being  less  exposed  to  the  elements  and 
to  hardship  and  rough  exercise  than  the  male. 
The  case  of  the  Indians  does  not  confirm  this 
theory.     The   squaw,   (as    the  women  among 
them  are  commonly  called,)  as  we  shall  show 
hereafter,  is  the  drudge  and  slave  of  the  men; 
and  yet  she  has  a  delicacy  of  limb,  and  espe- 
cially  a  slenderness  of  hand  and  foot,  as  distin- 
guisnea   irom  the  brawny  form   of  the  male, 


% 


US  than  that 
carcely  ever 
3  before  the 

aside  from 

Jadily  distin- 

e  from  that 

the  one  di- 

called  */»- 

Geography 

"We  have 

wife,  the 
id  son,  and 
walking  to- 
t  conversa- 

the  frailer 
country,  is 
zation,  but 
sments  and 

the  male. 
)nfirm  this 
en  among 
hall  show 

the  men; 
and  espe- 

as  distin- 
ihe  male) 


PERSONAL    TRAITS. 


29 


even  more  strongly  marked  than  among  Euro- 
peans. The  face  is  broad  and  oval;  the  nose 
flattened,  scarcely  ever  aquiline,  and  for  the 
most  part  resembling  that  of  the  negro.  They 
have  a  greater  uniformity  in  this  respect  than 
the  male.     [See  cut  on  p.  26.] 

Owing  partly  to  his  organization,  doubtless, 
as  well  as  to  his  mode  of  living  from  his  child- 
hood up,  the  senses  of  the  Indian  are  extremely 
acute.  It  is  related,  in  modern  times,  that  a 
hunter,  belonging  to  one  of  the  western  tribes, 
on  his  return  home  to  his  hut  one  day,  discovered 
that  his  venison,  which  had  been  hung  up  to 
dry,  had  been  stolen.  After  taking  observations 
upon  the  spot,  he  set  off  in  pursuit  of  the  thief, 
whom  he  tracked  through  the  woods.  Having 
gone  a  little  distance,  he  met  some  persons  of 
whom  he  inquired,  if  they  had  seen  a  little  old 
white  man,  with  a  short  gun,  accompanied  by  a 
small  dog  with  a  short  tail  9  They  replied  in 
the  affirmative  ;  and  upon  the  Indian  assuring 
them  that  the  man  thus  described  had  stolen  his 
venison,  they  desired  to  be  informed  how  he 
was  able  to  give  such  a  minute  description  of  a 
person  he  had  not  seen?  The  Indian  replied 
thus: — <the  thief  I  know  is  a  little  man,  by 
his  having  made  a  pile  of  stones  to  stand  upon 

3* 


30 


Hi. 


ff^'f 


!!! 


It    ! 


if 

lillll  li 


FEBSONAL  TEAITg. 


in  order  to  reach  the  venison  from  the  height  I 
l-ung  ,t,  standing  on  the  ground:  that  he  is  an 
old  man  I  know  by  his  short  steps,  which  I 
have  traced  over  the  dead  leaves  in  the  woods: 
and  that  he  is  a  v,hite  man  I  know  by  his  turn- 
>ng  out  his  toes  when  he  walks,  which  an  In- 
dian  never  does.     His  gun  I  know  to  be  short, 
by  d,e  mark  the  muzzle  made  in  rubbing  the 
bark  of  the  tree  on  which  it  leaned;  that  his 
dog  IS  small,  I  know  by  his  tracks;  and  that 
he  has  a  short  tail,  I  discovered  by  the  mark  it 
made  m  the  dust  where  he  was  sitting  at  the 
time  his  master  was  taking  down  the  meat.' 

vve  shall  have  occasion  to  observe  hereafter, 
how  serviceable  this  keenness  of  the  senses  be- 
comes to  the  Indian  in  time  of  war,  as  well  as 

The  In  ""'"f  "S  "-"''  ^™'™S  '"  *e  woods. 
The  old  French  writer,  Charlevoix,  who  had 

teTo?t  °PP°T"'''  "'■  ''"''^'"S  *«  -harac- 
er  of  the  Canadian  and  other  tribes,  says,- 

This  people  have  a  wonderful  talent,  I  might 

ay  an  instinct,  to  know  if  any  person  has  pa! s- 

ed  through  any  place.     On  the  shortest  grass 

on  the  hardest  ground,  even  upon  stones,'tW 
discover  some  traces;  and  by  the  way  clieV  are 
turned,  by  the  shape  of  the  fe.t.  I.^!  T 
mamier  in  which  they  are  separated  from  each 


■i 


^v 
/$)/ 


* 


M 


PERSONAL   TRAITS. 


31 


•m  the  height  I 
:  that  he  is  an 
teps,  which  I 
in  the  woods: 
f  by  his  tum- 

which  an  In- 
w  to  be  short, 
3  rubbing  the 
ned;  that  his 
3ks;  and  that 
J  the  mark  it 
sitting  at  the 
he  meat.' 
ve  hereafter, 
le  senses  be- 
',  as  well  as 
1  the  woods. 
ix,  who  had 

the  charac- 
es,  says, — 
3nt,  I  might 
)n  has  pass- 
rtest  grass, 
tones,  they 
ay  tliey  are 


-# 


c\v 


"J        U-IC 

from  each 


^  other,  they  even  distinguish,  as  they  say,  the 
^  footsteps  of  difierent  nations,  and  those  of  men 
i  from  those  of  women.  I  thought  a  long  time,' 
adds  this  faithful  historian,  'that  there  was 
some  exaggeration  in  this  matter;  but  the  re- 
ports of  those  who  have  lived  among  the  sava- 
ges are  so  unanimous,  that  I  see  no  room  to 
doubt  of  their  sincerity.' 

The  Indians  are  much  more  remarkable  for 
fleetness  than  for  strength.     Their  frames  and 
limbs  are  never  unwieldy  in  their  size;  and  they 
are  accustomed  from  early  life  to  a  great  deal 
of  free  and  healthy  exercise  of  all  kinds  in  the 
open  air,  and  particularly  to  hunting  and  run- 
ning races.     There  is  an  old  book,  written  a 
century  and  a  half  since  by  the  celebrated  Rev. 
Roger  Williams,  of  Rhode  Island,  (and  the  first 
.setderof  Providence  in  that  State,)  in  which 
he  states,    as   from  his  own  observation,  that 
the  legs  of  the  Indian  (New  England)  children 
are   in   infancy  <  stretcht  and  bound   up   in  a 
strange  way  on  their  cradle  backward,  as  also 
anointed.'      He  then  adds  that  he  had  known 
them  sometimes  to  run  between  eighty  and  one 
hundred  miles  in  a  long  summer's  day,  and  back 
__, —  ..^  „^^  sainx^  iuuie  in  'WO  aays.      '  And 
commonly  in  the  summer  they  delight  to  goe 


32 


PERSONAL   TRAITS. 


0. 


Without  shoes,  though  they  have  them  hanging  at 
their  backs.    They  are  so  exquisitely  skilled  in 
all   the  travelling  of  the  countrey  (by  reason 
of  their  hunting)  that  I  have  often  been  guided 
twentie,  thirtie,  yea,  sometimes  fortie   miles 
through  the  woods,  a  streight  course,  out  of 
any  path.'      An  Indian  thinks  but  little  of  tra- 
velling in   this  manner  through   the  woods,  a 
week  in  succession,  with  perhaps  no  clothing 
but  a  blanket,  and  no  food  but  a  pouch  of  parch- 
ed corn  at  his  girdle,  a  small  quantity  of  which 
he  eats  once  in  twentj^-four  hours. 

Two  or  three  historical  anecdotes,  will  serve 
to  confirm  what  has  been  said  of  the  fleemess 
and  activity  of  the  Indians,  as  well  as  some 
other  qualities  of  which  more  will  be  said  here- 
after. 

During  the  last  century,  and  before  the  Rev-' 
olutionary  War,  a  party  of  warriors  of  one  of 
the  most  powerful  tribes  of  the  South,  made 
prisoner  of  a  fighter  belonging  to  a  neighboring 
nation  with  which  they  had  long  been  engaged  in 
active  hostilities.  The  captive  was  famous  for 
his  achievements,  and  was  well  known  to  his 
enemies  by  the  tide  of  '  Old  Scrany.'  They 
.  *^"  ^'^  t^ituicu  uy  ure.     fseinff 

tied  to  a  pile  of  fagots,  and  the  flames  kindled. 


m 


PERSONAL   TRAITS. 


93 


em  hanging  at 
tely  skilled  in 
Y  (by  reason 
been  guided 
fortie  miles 
>urse,  out  of 
t  little  of  tra- 
he  woods,  a 
i  no  clothing 
uch  of  parch- 
tity  of  which 

es,  will  serve 
the  fleemess 
^ell  as  some 
36  said  here- 

)re  the  Rev-- 

rs  of  one  of 
Jouth,  made 
neighboring 
n  engaged  in 
3  famous  for 
nown  to  his 
^Y.'  They 
ire.  Being 
ties  kindled. 


he  endured  it  for  a  long  time  without  moving  a 
, :  muscle,  or  uttering  any  sort  of  complaint.     He 
I  even  challenged  his  exuldng  foes,  who  were 
f  spectators  of  his  anguish,  to  try  him  still  more 
severely.     Finally  he   told   them,  they  made 
such  miserable  business  of  it  in  their  attempts 
to  torment  him,  that,    out  of  compassion  for 
their  ignorance,  he  would  teach  them  how  to 
*^anage  it  better,  if  they  would  but  untie  him 
:and  hand  him  a  hot  gun-barrel  which  lay  glow- 
ing in  the  fire  at  his  side. 

V    The  proposal  was  so  extraordinary  as  to  ex- 
cite the  curiosity  of  his   enemies,    and  they 
granted  his  request  so  far  as  to  unloose  him. 
iThen   suddenly   seizing    the    gun-barrel,   and 
brandishing  it  furiously  from  side  to  side,  he 
forced  his  way  through  the  astonished  multitude, 
leaped   down  a  steep  and  high  bank  into  the 
branch  of  a  river   which   ran   beneath,  dived 
;  through  it,  ran  over  a  small  island,  and  passed 
the  other  branch;  and  although  numbers  of  his 
li  disappointed   enemies   were   in  eager  pursuit, 
and  a  shower  of  bullets  fell  all  around  him,  he 
I  succeeded  in  gaining  a  bramble-swamp,  where 
I  he  concealed  himself  until  the  danger  was  near- 
I  ly  over.     He  reached  his  own  country,  naked 
and  bruised,  as  well  as  scorched:  but  he  lived 


S4 


PERSONAL   TRAITS. 


ifl 


III 


m 


many  years  afterwards,  and  was  none  the  less 
'Old  Scrany'— a  terrible  thorn  in  the  side  of 
his  enemies,— than  he  had  been  for  twenty  or 
thirty  years  before. 

The  Senecas  of  >: -c  Yoik,  and  the  Cataw- 
bas,  a  powerful   so         .1   tribe,  were  at  war 
with  each  other  early  in  the  last  century.     A 
scalping.party  of  the  former,   having  travelled 
several   days'  journey  through  the  woods  to- 
wards the  territories  of  the  latter,  discovered  a 
solitary  Catawba,  hunting,  and  clothed  only  in  a 
light  summer-dress  proper  for  that  amusement.  ' 
They  had  already  intercepted  his  running  to- 
wards home,  and  he  therefore  sprang  ofF  for  a 
large  hollow  rock,  four  or  five  miles  distant,  in 
the  hope  of  secreting  himself  under  its  shelter. 
He  was  so  swift,  and  so  skilful  in  the  use  of 
tJie  gun  which  he  carried  with  him,  that  he  shot 
down  seven  of  his  pursuers  in  the  running  fight, 
before  they  were  able  to  sui  ound  and  take  him! 
They  carried  him  captive  to  their  own  coun- 
ty in  melancholy  triumph;  but,  although  he  had 
filled  them  with  shame  and  grief  for  the  loss  of 
so  many  of  their  comrades,  they  admired  his 
courage  and  prowess  still  more  than  they  hated 
him  for  the  havoc  he  had  made  among  the  Sen- 
y  ,..r^  x^Lruxu  liui  prevent  nis  Deing 


m 


•u... 


'-'^"mha>^'3iKQi*f^ 


PERSONAL   TRAITS. 


35 


treated  according  to  the  customs  of  the  nation. 
As  they  advanced  homeward,  the  women  and 
children  at  the  different  villages  which  they 
passed  through,  came  out  to  exult  over  and  beat 
him.  At  last,  having  reached  his  destination, 
he  was  condemned,  by  a  council  of  the  Seneca 
warriors,  to  die  by  the  torture  of  fire. 

But  the  captive  was  not  yet  disheartened. 
He  had  travelled  a  long  and  wearisome  route, 
scantily  fed,  lying  at  night  on  the  naked  ground, 
exposed  to  the  changes  of  the  weather,  and 
with  his  arms  and  legs  extended  in  a  pair  of 
rough  wooden  stocks;  but  his  spirits  were  still 
light,  his  limbs  supple  and  firm,  and  his  eye  as 
keen  as  the  eagle's.  The  place  of  torture  was 
chosen,  as  it  frequently  was  in  similar  cases,  up- 
on the  bank  of  a  river.  At  the  appointed  hour, 
a  multitude  of  the  Senecas  led  him  out  to  be 
sacrificed.  But  they  were  heedless,  and  in  high 
glee,  and  they  suffered  their  prisoner  to  walk 
unpinioned.  All  at  once,  he  collected  his 
whole  strength,  dashed  down  those  of  his  ene- 
mies who  were  nearest  about  him,  sprang  away 
to  the  edge  of  the  water,  plunged  in,  and  swam 
rapidly  underneath, — only  rising  to  take  breathi 
until  he  gained  the  opposite  shore, 

He  now  mounted  the  steep  and  rocky  bank. 


9% 


PERSONA!.  TRAITf 


Several  of  the  Senecas   were  already  in  the 
water,  and  others  were  nmning  in  various  direc- 
tions, to  surround  or  overtake  him.     Their  bul- 
lets,  too,  began  to  whiz  in  the  air  over  his  head, 
and  to  strike  the  ledges  beneath  his  feet.     Still, 
he  could  not  bear  to  leave  his  enemies  without 
some  testimony  of  his  scorn  and  defiance.     He 
stopped,  to  make  very  deliberately  the   most  I 
contemptuous  gestures,  in  their  sight,  which  his 
mgenuity  could    suggest;    and   then  raising  a 
shriU  war-whoop  as  a  last  salute,  he  commenced 
his  flight  into  the  forest  with  the  furious  speed 
of  a  tiger  escaped  from  his  cage. 

He  continued  his  course  in  such  a  manner  as 

to  run,  by  aboui^  midnight  of  the  same  day,  as  far 

as  his  eager  pursuers  were  two  days  in  following. 

He   then   lay  stiH,  concealed  under  logs   and 

bushes,  until  five  of  the  enemy  came  up,  kindled 

their  fire  not  far  from  the  spot  where  he  lay 

watching  them,   refreshed   themselves   with  a 

slight  repast,  and  stretched  themselves  out  on 

the  bare  earth  to  sleep.     He  now  crawled  up 

towards  the  fire,  with  a  wary  step,  seized  one 

of  their  tomahawks,  and  killed  them  all  on  the 

spot.     Stripping  off  their  scalps  for  a  trophy,* 

See,  as  to  thift  custom,  a  i«iihuv«i>an»  »\, . .1 

of  thelttdiang.  '"""'^  -»-t^«.  wn  lae  war» 


PERSONAL    TRAITS. 


37 


ready  in  the 
'^arious  direc- 
Their  bul- 
)ver  his  head, 
5  feet.  Still, 
mies  without 
jfiance.  He 
ly  the  most 
ht,  which  his 
en  raising  a 
commenced 
urious  speed 

a  manner  as 

leday,  as  far 

In  following. 

&r  logs   and 

up,  kindled 

tiere  he  lay 

ves  with  a 

Ives  out  on 

crawled  up 

seized  one 

»  all  on  the 

a  trophy,* 

t  on  the  war* 


lie  clothed  himself  with  articles  of  their  dress, 
took  the  best  of  their  guns,  with  as  much  ammu- 
nition and  provision  as  he  could  well  carry  in 
a  running  march,  and  started  off  afresh  with  a 
light  heart. 

Finding  himself  at  length  clear  of  his  pursuers, 
he  made  his  way  through  the  woods,  as  if  by 
instinct,  to  the  very  spot  where  he  had  shot 
down  the  seven  Senecas.     He  digged  them  up 
from  their  fresh-made  graves,  scalped*  them, 
burned  their  bodies  to  ashes,  and  completed  his 
journey  homeward  in  triumph.     A  party  of  the 
Senecas  soon  afterwards  vdiscovered  the  man- 
gled bodies  of  their  five  countrymen  tomahawk- 
ed by  the  young  Catawba.     The  pursuit  was 
then  abandoned  as  hopeless.     They  returned 
home;  a  war-council  was  called;  and  the  Sene- 
cas determined  that  a  man  who  could  do  such 
things  as  this    Catawba  had  done,  naked  and 
wounded,  '  must  surely  be  beyond  the  reach  of 
the  Senecas.     And  it  was  of  no  use  to  fire  mus- 
kets at  such  a  person,  if  they  could  overtake 
him.     He  was  a  wizzard  !' 

A  shorter  story  may  be   told  to  the   same 
effect,  relating  to  a  Chickasaw,     When  this  for- 

'  ■  ■      ■■        ■> 

t*  See  note  on  page  36.] 

4 


88 


PERSONAL  TRAITS. 


midable  nation,  (who  inhabited  a  wide  and  fer- 
tile territory  between  the  upper  branches  of  the  m 
Yazoo  river,  in  the  State  of  Mississippi,)  were  I 
at  war  a  long  time  since  with   the  Creeks,  orf 
Muskogees,  (who  lived,  as  they  still  do,  a  little  I 
taher  eastward)  one  of  the  young  Chickasawsl 
set  off  alone  into  the  territory  of  the  Creeks  f 
with  the  view  of  revenging  the  death  of  a  near 
relation  slain  in  the  war.     He  traversed   the 
thickest  and  most  unfrequented  parts  of  the  wil- 
derness,  until  he  arrived  opposite  to  a  consid^ 
erable  town  of  the  Creeks,  called  Koosah.     It , 
was  situated  high  on  the  eastern  side  of  a  rapid  I 
river,  abouc  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards  broad  I 
which  empties  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
^  Here  he  concealed  himself  under  cover  ot 
rhe  top  of  a  fallen  pine-tree,  in  view  of  a  shallow 
part  of  the  river,  where  the  Creeks  were  now 
and  then  to  be  s3en  crossing  over  in  their  light 
and  swift  canoes.     All  his  store  of  provisions 
consisted  of  a  small  quantity  of  dried  vpn-son- 
but  satisfied   with  this  scanty  fare,  he  waited 
with  pc  vent  watchfulness   nearly  three   whole 
days  and  nights.     At  length,  about  an  hour  be- 
lore  sunset,  he  saw  a  man,  a  woman,  and  a  drl, 
crossing   within   an   easy   gunshot.     H.   «ho^ 
down  the  m&n,  rushed  out  and  tomahawked  the 


PERSONAL    TRAITS. 


33 


i  wide  and  fer- 
•ranches  of  the 
lissi'ppi,)  were 
le  Creeks,  or 
5till  do,  a  h'ttie 
ig  Chickasaws 
f  the  Creeks, 
3ath  of  a  near 
traversed   the 
irts  of  the  wil- 
■  to  a  consid' 
Koosah.     It 
ide  of  a  rapid 
yards  broad, 
lexico. 
ler  cover  ot 
V  of  a  shallow 
cs  were  now 
in  their  light 
f  provisions 
led  venison; 
;,  he  waited 
three   whole 
an  hour  be- 
I,  and  a  girl, 


H( 


ihnt 


Other  two,  and  scalped  them  all  in  full  view  of 
tlie  town.  As  a  farther  bravado,  je  even  shook 
the  scalps  exultingiy  over  his  head;  and  then, 
sounding  the  terrible  death-whoop  of  a  vs^arrior, 
he  betook  himself  to  a  speedy  flight,  with  about 
a  dozen  of  the  Creeks  close  behind  him. 

At  the  distance  of  seven  miles,  ho  entered 
a  great  ridge  of  the  Apalachian  Mountains. 
About  an  hour  before  day^  he  had  run  seventy 
miles  of  that  hilly  and  rugged  tract.  He  now 
refreshed  himself  by  sleeping  two  hours  in  a 
sitting  post-ire,  with  liis  gun  in  his  hand,  leaning 
his  back  against  a  tree:  and  then  renewed  his 
journey  with  increased  celerity.  Having, 
when  he  started,  thrown  away  his  venison,  to 
lighten  himself,  he  was  obliged  to  sustain  nature 
with  such  roots  and  nuts  as  his  sharp  eyes,  with 
a  running  glance,  directed  him  to  snatch  up  in 
his  course.  Thus  he  ran  the  whole  distance  to 
his  own  country,  reaching  home  about  eleven 
o'clock  of  the  third  day, — so  that  he  was  only 
two  nights  and  one  day  and  a  half  in  going  ovi^r 
wiiat  is  computed  to  be  three  hundred  miles. 
The  historian  who  furnislies  the  anecdote,  states 
that  he  repeatedly  travelled  that  route  on  horse- 


\t%  ^  ^^ 


^^. 


ihawked  the    M  journey 


»^«v/xi,  wwi  i.i\jv^i  iuauc  II  less  iiidu.  u  iive-aays 


A.X 


40 


PERSONAL    TRAITS. 


M  |i 


An  anecdote  somewhat  similar  to  tliis,  is  told 
of   PisKARET,  a  celebrated  northern  Indian, 
who  lived  about  two  centuries  ago.     He  was  a 
chieftain,  of  the  tribe  of  Adirondacks,  who  re- 
sided on  the  banks  of  the  great  river  St.  Law- 
rence.    They  were  almost  continually  at  war 
with  the  Five  Nations  of  New  York,  who  then 
hved,  as  the  remnant  of  them  still  do,  in  the 
northern  section  of  that  State.     Being  deter- 
mined to  distinguish  himself,  and  to  encourage 
his  countrymen  in  the  contest,  Piskarct  boldly 
set  out,  alone,  for   the   country   of  the  Five 
Nations,  (with  which  he  was  well  acquainted,) 
about  that  period  of  the  spring  when  the  snow 
was  beginning   to  melt.     Accustomed,    as   an 
Indian  must  be,  to  all  emergencies  of  travelling 
as  well  as  warfare,  he  took  the  precaution  of 
putting  the  hinder  part  of  his  snow-shoes  for- 
ward, so  that  if  his  footsteps  should  happen  to 
be  observed  by  his  vigilant  enemy,  it  might  be 
supposed  he  was  gone  the  contrary  way.     For 
further  security  he  went  along  the  ridges  and 
high  grounds,  where  the  snow  was  melted,  that 
his  track  might  be  lost. 

On  coming  near  one  of  the  villages  of  the 
Five  Nations,  he  concealed  himself  until  night, 
and  tlien  entered  a  cabin,  while  the   inmates 


PERSONAL   TRAITS. 


41 


were  fast  asleep,  murdered  the  whole  family, 
and   carried   the   scalps    to   his  lurking-place. 
The  next  day,  the  people  of  the  village  sought 
for  the  murderer,  but  in  vain.     He  came  out 
again   at  midnight,  and   repeated  his  deed  of 
blood.     The  third  night,  a  watch  was  kept  in 
every  house,  and  Piskaret  was  compelled  to 
exercise  more  caution.     But  his  purpose  was 
not  abandoned.     He  bundled  up  the  scalps  he 
had  already  taken,  to  carry  home  with  him  as  a 
proof  of  his  victory,  and  then  stole  warily  from 
house  to  house,  until  he  at  last  discovered  an 
Indian  nodding  at  his  post.     This  man  he  des- 
patched at  a  blow,  but  that  blow  alarmed  the 
neighborhood,  and  he  was  forced  immediately 
to  fly  for  his  hfe.     Being,  however,  the  fleetest 
Indian  then  alive,  he  was  under  no  apprehen- 
sion of  danger  from  the  chase.     He  sufl'ered 
his  pursuers  to  approach  him  from  time  to  time, 
and  then  suddenly   darted   away   from   them, 
hoping  in  this  manner  to  discourage  as  well  as 
escape  them.     When  the  evening  came  on,  he 
hid  himself,  and  his  enemies  stopped  to  rest. 
Feeling  no  danger  from  a  single  enemy,  and  he 
a  fugitive,  they  even  indulged  themselves   in 
sleep.     Piskaret,  who   watched   every  move- 
ment, turned  about,  knocked  every  man  of  them 

4* 


42 


11 


h'il 


Ml 


•«i; 


JERSONAI.  TRAITS. 


on  the  head,  added  their  scalps  to  his  bundle, 
and  leisurely  resumed  his  way  home.* 

As  one  more  instance  in  point,  we  may  men- 
tion the  well-known  fact  that,  during  the  recent 
campaign  conducted  by  General  Atkinson 
against  the  Indians  of  the  upper  Mississippi, 
intelligence  of  some  importance  was  in  one 
instance  brought  in  to  the  American  camp  by  a 
friendly  Indian  who  ran,  for  that  purpose,  more 
than  one  hundred  miles  in  the  course  of  twenty- 
lour  hours. 

Of  the  fortitude  of  the  American  savage  in 
enduring  pain  and  torture,  we  may  have  occa- 
sion to  speak  again  in  describing  their  moral 
character;  for  although  much  of  his  astonishing 
endurance  may  be  owing  to  hardihood  of  tlie 
trarae,  still  more  must  be  attributed  to  a  stern 
and  inflexible  resolution  of  mind. 

THE  IHDIASS,  Nos.  4S  and  46„f  dB  FA«.ly  LlBRiB,. 


DRESS. 


43 


CHAPTER  HI. 

Ancient  Dress  of  the  Atlantic  and  other  Indians— At  the 
North  and  the  South— In  summer  and  winter— For  male  and 
female— Modernstyleofdress— Decoration— Greasing- 
Painting— Tattooing— Anecdotes  of  Indian  vanity  and  skill 

in  mattersof  decoration— Anecdote  of  a  celebrated  Delaware 
Warrior. 

Previous  to  the  arrival  of  the  Europeans  in 
this  country,  the  clothing  of  the  Indians,  in  all 
the  northerly  sections  of  the  continent,  was  the 
skins  of  wild  beasts.  The  women  dressed 
themselves  with  more  regard  to  modesty  than 
the  men.  They  wore  a  coat  of  skins,  girt 
about  the  loins,  and  reaching  down  nearly  to 
the  knees;  and  this  they  never  put  off  in  com- 
pany. If  the  husband  took  the  liberty  to  sell 
or  gamble  away  the  beaver  petticoat  of  his 
squaw,  she  nevertheless  refused  to  part  with  it 
until  another  of  some  sort  was  provided. 

In  the  summer,  their  skin  blanket,  or  mande, 
hung  loosely  about  them,  and  was  often  thrown 
aside;  in  winter  it  was  wrapped  closely  around 
the  waist.  The  old  men,  in  the  severe  seasons, 
also  wore  a  kind  of  trowsers,  made  of  skins,  and 
fastened  to  tiieir  girdles.     They  wore  (as  the:^ 


44 


DRESS. 


f 


^■i! 

^^^^^B  '' 

'  i  ■ 

j 

Hi 

Still  do,)  shoes  without  heels,  which  they  railed 
mocassins.  These  were  generally  made  of 
moose-hide  or  buck-skin.  They  were  shaped 
entirely  to  the  foot,  gathered  at  the  toes  and 
round  the  ankles,  and  made  fast  with  strings. 
Roger  Williams  says  of  this  article,  that  '  be- 
ing excellently  tanned  by  them,  it  is  excellent 
for  to  travell  in  wet  and  snow;  for  it  is  so  well 
tempered  with  oyle,  that  the  water  cleane  wrings 
out;  and  being  hanged  up  in  their  chimney,  they 
presently  drie  without  hurt,  as  myselfe  hath 
often  proved.' 

The  same  writer  states,  that  when  the  New 
England  Indians  were  first  induced  to  put  on 
English  clothes,  they  felt  so  litde  at  ease  in 
them,  that  in  case  of  a  sudden  shower  coming 
up,  they  would  strip  them  off  as  fast  as  possible. 
They  preferred  wetting  their  own  bodies,  and 
keeping  their  clothes  dry.  Though  they  wore 
these  garments,  too,  while  among  the  Enghsh, 
because  they  were  presents  from  the  latter* 
they  always  took  them  off  the  moment  they 
returned  to  their  own  wigwams. 

The  Virginian  and  other  Southern  Indians 
attired  themselves  much  in  the  same  manner 
with  those  of  the  North,  excepting  that,  the 
Cximate  being  less  severe,  their  dress  was  adapt- 


DECORATION. 


45 


ey  railed 
made  of 
!  shaped 
toes  and 

strings, 
lat  '  be- 
ixcellent 

so  well 
e  wrings 
3y,  they 
Ife  hath 

be  New 
put  on 
ease  in 
coming 
ossible. 
es,  and 
y  wore 
^nglish, 
latter, 
It  they 

fndians 
nanner 
It,  the 
adapt- 


H 

1 

•  i 

^^ 

f 

Wt\i 

p. 

1, 

kII 

r 

'  ^ 

1 ' 

w 

m 

P' 

VI 

46 


DRESS. 


ed  to  it  accordingly.     In   summer  tliey  used 
very  lutle  elotl^ing  of  any  sort.     [See /45 

In  modern  times,  fur  and  skins  are  not  so 
»uch  worn  as  formerly,  but  enough  to  sW 
sufficemly  how  they  used  to  be  faloned  by 
savage  mgenuity  into  very  comfortable  and 
somefmes  very  handsome  apparel.     They  can 

make  u"  7  f '  T"  '  ''"«''^°'^'  ^  ^  " 
make  u  yuue  soft  and  pliant;  and  a  good  one 

wm  serve  a  man  several  years  without'  wear'g 
better      Th  "^  ""T"    "'"'^^'^  ^«  '^^ 

setting  the  hair  or  fur  aU  in  one  way,  so  as  to 

luns  off  mstead  of   penetrating.       In   cold 
weather  they  are  worn  wid,  the  fur  insMe 
Pormerb^  the  hair  or  fur  was  shaved  off  from 
^se  shns  which  the  Indians  used  todres" 
with  the  large  r,b-bones  of  the  elk  or  buffalo 
Even  now,  the  Western  Indians  say  they  c^ 
clean  a  skin  as  well  with  a  well-prepareT  rl 
bone  as  with  an  English  knife. 

also'^mar"nr'rS''  ''^^''''  °'  '"»''«='  ^«^« 
wild  Tt  "''"■''  S""^'*^'^  'hose  of  the 

wild  turkey  or  goose.     This  was  done  chiefly 

by  the  women,  xvhr,  „,wu  .     '™°^ 

'   '  ■'""  6»«ai  pauence  and 


DECORATION". 


47 


care,  interwove  the  feathers  together  in  a  mo^t 
curious  manner,  with  a  thread  made  of  the  bark 
of  the  wild  hemp  and  nettle.  The  same  kind 
of  workmanship  is  to  be  seen  in  the  hands  with 
which  the  modern  Indians  often  pack  up  and 
cany  their  bags  and  other  burdens. 

The  present  dress   of  most  of  the   tribes 
known  to  the  white  people,  is  of  articles  of 
their  manufacture.     A  figured  cotton  shirt  is  a 
common  garment  of  the  men;  a  cloth  petticoat 
lor  the  women.     Blankets  are  worn  by  both 
sexes  and  all  ages.     Leggins,  of  blue,  green  or 
red  cloth,  are  in  ordinary  use;  and  are  generally 
more  or  less  ornamented,  as  well  as  tied  with  a 
garter  of  colored   worsted   below  the  knee 
The  small  apron,  in  front,  is  also  ornamented 
around  the  edges.     Additional  to  these  articles, 
the  males  carry  a  knife  in  a  scabbard  confined 
to  the   string  or  narrow  belt  which  girds  the 
waist:  also  a  pipe,  and  a  skin  tobacco-pouch, 
contaming,  beside  tobacco  and  smoking  weed,  a 
fire-steel,  flint,  and  some  kind  of  tinder. 

There  is  less  uniformity  in  the  head-dress,  as 
there  was  also  in  ancient  times,  than  in  any 
other  part  of  the  personal  decoration.     Some-    * 
times  the  head  is  ornamented  with  n  hor.A  ^f 
skms,  dressed  with  the /eft  or  hair  on,  surmount- 


48 


If,,  fist 


f 


'I  . 


,'   S       1 


lir 


DECORATION. 


ed  with  feathers;  bnt  in  many  cases  no  such 
article  IS  used. 

The  ornamental  part  of  the  dress  is  and  has 
been  equally  various, -depending  not  so  much 
on  the  rank  or  business  of  the  wearer,  as  upon 
h.s  ambmon  to  wear  and  his  ability  to  procure. 
When  the  hazr  ,s  kept  long,  as  is  often  the  case, 
It  IS  trequently  braided,  and  decked  with  silver 
broaches  At  other  times,  it  is  cut  in  various 
whtmstca  and  fantastic  forms,  and  perhaps 
stuck  with  long  feathers. 

,n,irru  *'   "''"'  '  '""'^'"'^  °f  beads  or 
smdl  shells  IS  suspended;  or  a  silver  crescent. 

t^utf'  "u^  '^"^'-'^^ds,  and  broaches  or 
buckles  for  the  garters,  are  common.     So,  in 

and  brass  th.mbles  fixed  round  the  ankles,  which 
make  a  tinkling  noise  as   tl.ey  walk,  J  To 

Z1J°  r,  *'  ""'"'""  "^  ^P''«="°>-s  to 
the  finery  of  the  wearer.  The  petticoat  of  the 
squaw  ,s  frequently  decorated  with  abundance 
of  ribands  of  gaudy  colors.  The  leggins  are 
.urnished  ,n  the  same  style  with  flant  orna- 
mental work;  and  the  mocassins,  especially  of 
women,  are  very  neatly  embroidered  with  por- 
cupme-qudls,  beautifully  stained  with  brilliant 


ntroa 


^ai-nngs,  ol  some  metal,  are  in  gener- 


iL 


DECORATIOPr. 


49 


ses  no  such 


al  use.  Formerly,  these  were  made  of  bone, 
sea-shells  and  stone;  and  pendants  were  also 
worn  in  the  nose,  which  is  not  now  a  common 
practice.  They  were  carved  rudely  in  the 
shape  of  birds,  beasts,  and  fishes,  according  to 
the  taste  and  mechanical  skill  of  the  person  who 
wore  them. 

Painting,  as  well  as  greasing,  has  always  been 
a  favorite  custom,  and  as  a  preparation  for  this 
we  have  noticed  the  practice  of  plucking  out 
the  hair  of  the  face  and  body.      This  mixture 
of  grease  or  oil  and  paints,  might  indeed  be  con- 
sidered as  much  a  part  of  the  Indian's  dress  as 
of  his  ornament;  for  it  generally  formed  a  per- 
manent coat  of  thick  varnish  over  the  whole 
skin.     No  doubt  a  principal  object  of  it  was  to 
defend  the  body  from  moisture  and  cold,  and 
from  numerous  tribes  of  insects  which  swarm 
m  a  summer  forest.     It  also  served  to  pre- 
serve the  strength  of  the  warrior  and  hunter,  by 
checking  the  profuse  perspiration  to  which  they 
were  subject  in  the  campaign  and  the  chase. 

For  all  sorts  of  dances  and  festivals,  the  In- 
dians of  both  sexes  take  particular  pains  to  lay 
on  the  red-ochre,  vermillion,  or  whatever  else 
the  paint  may  be,  in  quantities  and  m.Qdes  suit- 
ed to  the  occasion.     The  Chiefs  (or  Sachems) 

6 


pi 

m 


1 1 


do 


DECORATIOir. 


of  Je  New  England  tribes  performed  this  part 
of  the>r  toilet  .„  such  a  manner,  that,  added  to 
a  mantfe  of  moose  or  deer-skin,  painted  and 
em„ro.dered  wid,  white  shells  or  beads,  a  neck- 
lace of  fish-bones,  and  a  large  wild-cat  or  bear 
skin  with  the  jaws  and  ears  left  entire,  hanging 
over  the  shoulders  and  dangling  doJn  to  &! 
knees  ,t  gave  them  truly  a  most  ferocious  and 
fi-ghtful  appearance.     This  art  was  the  more 
cd.,vated,  because  those   warriors  who  made 
Jemselves  look  most  terrific,  especially  for  a 
war-dance*  or  a  scalping-party,  were  admired 
by  all  spectators  as  the  best  men. 

,.;.?""  "f-^f  '''""'"°"  ""^'"-nsof  decorauon, 
st.ll  practised,  remains  to  be  described.     This 
IS  the  practice  sometimes  called  mtooingA    It 
consists  in  making  incisions,  with  some  pointed 
mstrument,  mto  the  skin,  and  then  fiUing  them 
w.d.  some  black,  blue  or  other  permanent  dye 
or  ink,  m  such  a  manner  as  to  make  images  that 
lastea  dnrmg  life.     The  figures  of  moose,  deer 
bears,  otters,  wolves,  hawks,  or  whatever  ob- 
ject might  strike  a  man's  fancy  agreeably,  was 
thus  imprmted  on  his  face  or  limbs.     In  mod- 
!!l!:!:ifflj;;;;powder  is  often  used,  instea'd  of 

*Sm  a  »ub«q„e„,  chapter  on  Man  da„ci„.  ~ 

-,.,^„,  „^^^„  ^,  \irginian  Indians,  armed. 


DECORATION. 


51 


a  liquid  substance,  to  color  the  outline.  Some 
tribes  have  one  figure  in  common,  which  they 
call  their  totem,  and  by  which  Lhey  may  always 
be  known. 

The  Indians  have  perhaps  as  much  vanity  in 
respect  to  their  dress  and  decoration  as  any  other 
people  in  the  world.     Of  the  Western  tribes 
of  the  present  day,  an  accurate  observer  re- 
marks, that  from  the  time  the  squaw  often  oc- 
cupies in  clubbing  her  hair  behind,  arranging 
her  calico  jacket,  (a  common  garment  in  that 
quarter,)  and  painting  her  round  cheeks  with 
glaring  circles  of  Vermillion,  he  infers  that  per- 
sonal  ornament  occupies  as  much  of  her  thoughts 
as  of  most  fashionable  women  in  civilized  so- 
ciety.    A  young  Indian  warrior  is  notoriously 
the  most  thorough-going  beau  in  the   world. 
He  wiU  employ  himself  with  his  paints  and  his 
pocket-glass  for  hours,  laying  on  his  colors,  ar- 
ranging his  hair,  and,  gazing  at  his  reflection  in 
the  mirror,  from  time  to  time,  with  very  obvious 
satisfaction.* 

The  Western  warriors,  in  full  dress,  as  for  a 
great  dance,  wear  two  or  three  clasps  of  silver 
about  tlieir  arms,  generally  jewels  in  their  ears, 


•Flint's  Geography  and  History. 


52 


DECORATION 


and  often  in  the  nose.     In  fact,  it  is  as  common 
among  these  tribes  to  see  a  thin  circular  piece 
of  silver,  of  the  size  of  a  dollar,  hanging  an  inch 
or  two  from  the  nose,  as  it  was  among  the  an- 
cient Indians  to  see  a  piece  of  carved  bone  or 
stone  in  the  same  situation.     Then  the  painted 
porcupme-quills  are  twisted  in  the  hair.     Tails 
of  animals  swing  from  the  ears  behind.    A  neck- 
lace of  bears'  or  alligators'  teeth,  or  claws  of 
the  eagle,  or  red  beads--or,  if  nothing  better 
can  bo  had,  perhaps  a  string  of  red  thom-plums 
—hangs  from  the  neck.     The  brass  bells,  al- 
ready mentioned,  are  laid  thick  on  the  lower 
part  of  the  dress.     Add  to  all  this  finery,  an 
American  hat,  and  a  soldier's  blue  coat  faced 
with  red,  and  your  modern  Indian  dandy,  step- 
ping  firmly  on  the  ground  to  give  his  tinklers  a 
lair  chance  to  sound  together,  apparently  re- 
gards  his  attractions  with  as  much  complacency 
as  the  human  bosom  can  be  supposed  to  feel.* 
A  Moravian  clergyman   who   travelled  as   a 
missionary,  during  the  last  century,  among  the 
Indians  m  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  and  other  States, 
gives  an  account  of  a  visit  which  he  made  to 
ona^his  savage   acquaintances    at  his  own 

Flint's  Geography  and  History. 


DECORATION. 


63 


as  common 
cular  piece 
ing  an  inch 
>ng  the  an- 
d  bone  or 
he  painted 
Lir.     Tails 
A  neck- 
'  claws  of 
ing  better 
orn-plums 
bells,  al- 
the  lower 
Snery,  an 
oat  faced 
idy^  step- 
tinklers  a 
ently  re- 
iplacency 
to  feel.* 
led  as   a 
nong  the 
r  States, 
made  to 
his  own 


wigwam.     He  found  him  engaged  in  plucking 
out  his  beard,  preparatory  to  painting  himself 
for  a  danre  which  was  to  take  place  the  ensuing 
evening.     The  missionary,  not  liking  to  intrude 
on  the  gentleman  under  these  circumstances, 
went  home  to  his  lodgings  in  the  same  village. 
He  had  not  been  there  long,  when  the  Indian, 
having  finished  his  head-dress,  came  <  to  see 
him,'  as  he  said,  though  more  probably  to  be 
seen.     To  his  utter  astonishment,  the  mission- 
ary saw  three  different  expressions,  or  counte- 
nances, on  his  friend's  face.     By  great  ingenui- 
ty and  judgment  in  laying  on  and  shading  the 
different   colors,    he  had   made  his  nose   ap- 
pear, to  a  person  standing  direcdy  in  front  of 
him,  as  if  it  were  very  long  and  narrow,  with  a 
round  knob  at  the  end,  much  resembling  the 
upper  part  of  a  pair  of  tongs.     On  one  cheek 
there  was  a  red  round  spot,  about  the  size  of  an 
apple;  and  the  other  was  painted  in  the  same 
manner  with  black.     The   eye-lids,  both  the 
upper  and  lower  ones,  had  the  appearance  of 
being  twisted  altogether  out  of  place  by  the 
coloring. 

Again,  the  matter  was  so  arranged,  that  when 
the  spectator  took  a  side-view  of  him,  his  nose 


1    •!! 


^'j^^vsviii.vu  uic  ij^uii  ui  iui  eagle  J  wiin  uie  ovu 

6* 


54 


DECORATION. 


rounded  and  brought  ,o  a  point  precisely  a, 
those  b.rds  have  it,  .hough  the  mouth  was  .ome^ 

whatopen.  Theeyewasastonishingiywelldon. 
On  look,ng  at  tie  other  side,  theLe  nosi 
now  turned  to  the  snout  of  a  pike,  with  the 
mouj  so  open  that  the  teeth  could  n'ot  be  seen 

I  he  fellow  seemed  much  pleased  with  his 
own  workmanship,  and  having  his  small  lo  kin^! 
gl«  h.m,  gazed  at  it  with  great  exultation' 

How  do  you  hke  it?'_at  length  he  said 

i»  he  had  done  the  work  on  a  piece  of  board 

Wko,  any  thing  else,  he  shoufd  like  it  vS 
well.     <  And  why  no,  as  it  hV  added  the  sav- 

r^hTse  cXl'l^wlrr'^T^^""'^' 
T..;il     n       •       ,  ^"  •   "^^  the  reply,  <  I 

W'll  call  agam,  then,  tomorrow  morning,  before 
you  leave  the  village.'  He  did  so;  and  wtn 
he  came  back,  he  had  washed  hims'elf  perfecl^ 
Clean.  Ihus  was  a  whole  day  devoted  to  pre- 
paring  for  an  evening's  frolic* 

The  same  writer   describes  the  appearance 

:^of'Hfhr""'^""°^'°^'''^«^^^^^^^ 

fice  and  body,  where  he  had  been  severely 
•Heckeweld«'.Hi«,ricdaoc<.uatoftl»InHi.„»..:... 


DECORATION'. 


•recisely  as 

was  some- 

welJdone. 

!ame   nose 

with  the 
)t  be  seen, 
i  with  his 
II  looking- 
Jxultation. 
1  lie  said 
3red,  that 
of  board, 
e  it  very 

the  sav- 
re,  under 
eply,  <I 

;,  before 
id  when 
3erfectly 
I  to  pre- 

>earance 
elaware 
s  on  his 
everely 


55 


wounded  by  the  arrows  of  his  enemies;  and  this 
gave  him  a  not  very  amiable  aspect.     But,  what 
was  worse,  whether  from  a  disposition  to  make 
his  person  still  more  striking,  or  a  determination 
to  make  known  his  history,  he  had  tattooed  him- 
self  all  over,  so  that  not  one  unmarked  spot  was 
to  be  seen  from  head  to  foot.     On  his  whole 
face,  neck,  shoulders,  arms,  thighs  and  legs,  as 
well  as  on  his  breast  and  back,  were  represented 
scenes  of  the  various  engagements  and  adven- 
tures he  had  been  in;  in  short,  his  skin  furnish- 
ed,  in  these  figures  and  symbols,    the   whole 
history  of  the  man. 

In  tWs  instance,  the  tattooing  was  executed 
in  the  following  manner.     A  quantity  of  wild 
poplar  bark  being  in  readiness,  burnt  and  reduc- 
ed to  powder,  the  various  figures  were  marked 
out  in  the  skin  with  a  small  stick,  rather  larger 
than  a  common  match,  with  several  fine  needles 
fastened  at  the  end.     These  drawing  blood,  a 
coat  of  the  powder  was  laid  on,  and  left  to  dry. 
This  operation,  before  the  whites  came  to  this 
country,  was  performed  with  sharp  flint-stones, 
or  the  small  teeth  of  a  fish. 


stuvits. 


56 


HABITATIONS 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Ancient  Habitations  of  the  Indians-Northern  and  Southern 
-Mode  of  building,  and  habit  of  moving-Modern  lodgeg 
and  w.gwams-Household  furniture  described-Various 
kmd.  of  FOOD-Hominy-Barbacuing-Anecdotes  of  Indian 
cookery-lhe  white-fish  of  the  Lakes-Mode  of  takina  it 
-^almon-Catching  fish  beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains- 
Indian  notions  of  delicacy  and  daintiness-Cannibalism- 
Anecdotes. 


Ilii 


^The  habitations  of  the   American   Indians, 
under  various  names,  have  always  been  much 


R 


HABITATIONS. 


57 


of  taking  it 
Mountains— 
eumiba]ism— > 


IndiaAs, 
n  much 


alike  in  all  parts  of  the  continent.     In   New 
England,  and  generally  throughout  the  country, 
when  the  Europeans  first  arrived,  they  were 
mostly  constructed,  arbour-wise,  of  small  young 
trees,  bent  and  twisted  together.     A  fire  was 
made  in  the  centre  of  the  house,  and  there  was 
an  opening  at  the  top,  intended  to  let  out  the 
smoke.     This  purpose,  however,  was  not  verv 
thoroughly  efl^ected.     The  wigwam  was  but  a 
smoky   cell  at  best;   and  in  rainy  and  windy 
weather,    when  the  occupant   was  obliged   to 
cover  his  chimney-hole  in  the  roof  with  a  mat, 
or  with  boughs  of  trees,  to  keep  out  the  mois- 
ture, it  was  still  less  agreeable,  though  tolerably 
warm  and  dry.     A  pkce  of  entrance,  made  on 
one  side  as  a  door,  was  generally  left  open,  but 
furnished  with  a  hanging  mat  or  piece  of  bark, 
which  could  be  easily  dropt  and  fastened  over 
It,    in  the     night-time   or   in   storms.     These 
wigwams  were   sometimes   built  of  dry  poles 
instead  of  young  trees,  so  that  when  a  family 
wished  to  move,  they  had  only  to  bundle  up 
their  poles,  strap  them  upon  their  shoulders,  and 
march  off  to  some  other  part  of  tne  country, 
where  a  new  habitation  could  be  set  up  in  a  few 

il^Urs.       Thev   Werp    <rnvprnor|    ,'«    ♦!.«.•„    ^l.^:^^ 

of  a  residence,  by  the  opportunities  they  met 


58 


HABITATIONS. 


with  of  finding  abundance  of  fuel  and  food. 
Fresh  water  and  fresh  fish  were  great  objects, 
among  the  rest;  and  therefore,  a  cluster  of 
wigwams  was  always  to  be  seen  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  good  springs,  brooks  or  rivers. 

In  one  of  these  rude  habitations,  some  fifteen 
feet  long  and  ten  wide,  two  or  three  families 
often  lived  very  peacefully  together,  with  no 
other  separation  but  mats  and  boughs.  In  other 
cases,  still  greater  numbers  were  associated  in 
the  same  manner,  and  the  wigwam  was  made 
large  enough  to  accommodate  them  all.  The 
smoke  we  have  spoken  of  was  rendered  rather 
less  troublesome  by  burning  pine-knots,  or 
other  such  dry  and  light  woods  as  were  least 
offensive  to  the  eyes,  and  at  the  same  time 
most  easily  kindled. 

The  Indians  of  Virginia  and  other  southern 
sections  of  the  country,  built  their  habitations 
very  much  in  the  same  style  as  the  New 
England  tribes,  but  generally  with  rather  more 
regard  to  regularity  and  beauty;  one  reason  of 
which  was  that  the  climate  being  warmer,  and 
the  soil  and  streams  more  fertile  and  full  of 
their  favorite  food,  they  could  live  longer  in  the 
same  place,  and  had  more  leisure  to  consuh 
appearances.     They  therefore  trimmed  theii 


HABITATIONS. 


59 


nd  food. 
;  objects, 
luster  of 
le  neigh- 
vers. 
me  fifteen 
'■  families 
with  no 
In  other 
ciated  in 
as  made 
II.  The 
d  rather 
nots,  or 
ere  feast 
ne   time 

southern 
bitations 
le  New 
3r  more 
sason  of 
ler,  and 
full  of 
ir  in  the 
consult 
d  theii 


poles  carefully,  and  set  them  in  some  order. 
The  builder  also  consulted  his  convenience  and 
taste  in  the  variety  which  he  gave  to  the  cover- 
ing of  his  house,   whether  of  mats,   bark  or 
boughs;   and  in  the   shape  and  size,  whether 
oblong,  square,  or  in  the  more  ordinary  form 
of  a  bee-hive.     The  Cherokees  and  other  re- 
mote Southern  tribes  were  still  farther  advanced 
in  this  particular,  towards  the  art  of  the  white 
men.' 

It  was  conmion  also  at  the  South,  to  surround 
a  whole  village  with  a  fortification  against  ene- 
mies, which  consisted  in  a  palisado  about  ten 
or  twelve  feet  high;  and  to  render  it  the  more 
secure  against  a  sudden  attack,  they  made  the 
wall  of  two  or  three  thicknesses.     More  fre- 
quently they  thus  enclosed  only  the  house  of 
the  Werowance  or   king,  their  religious  idols 
and  sacred  relics,  and  perhaps  so  many  other 
ordinary  houses  as  might  be  sufficient  to  ac- 
commodate the  whole  tribe  or  settlement  in  case 
of  a  siege.     They  took  care  not  to  neglect 
having  a  supply  of  water  within  the  walls,  and 
a  place  for  a  common  fire  in  the  centre,  around 
which  they  often  assembled  to  perform  the 
war-dance. 

The  wigwams  of  the  Indians  of  the  North 


60 


HABITATIONS. 


r 

■1 

FURNITURE. 


61 


and  West  are  much  the  same,  to  this  day,  with 
those  just  described,  except  that  they  are  more 
frequently  constructed  of  rough  logs,  for  better 
security  against  the  severe  climate  of  those 
sections.  Occasionally,  too,  a  floor  of  planks 
is  to  be  seen;  and  perhaps  shelves,  a  few  nails 
driven  into  the  walls,  and  other  trifling  improve- 
ments which  have  been  slowly  borrowed  from 
the  whites.  In  the  remoter  parts  of  the  coun- 
try, the  customs  of  the  Enghsh  have  made  no 
progress,  and  the  wigwams  and  furniture  of  the 
various  tribes  are  made  and  used  precisely  as 
they  were  two  hundred  years  ago. 

The  household  furniture  was  always  very 
simple,  and  of  small  value.  Their  best  bed 
was  a  mat,  a  skin,  or  a  heap  of  boughs. 
*  Their  Fire,'  says  Roger  Williams,  'is  instead 
of  our  bed-cloathes.  And  so,  themselves  and 
any  that  have  occasion  to  lodge  with  them, 
must  be  content  to  turne  often  to  the  fire,  if 
the  night  be  cold,  and  they  who  first  wake 
must  repaire  the  fire»'  Very  often,  the  same 
ancient  historian  tells  us,  they  would  leave  their 
wigwams  to  make  room  for  a  friend,  e  d  would 
sleep  under  a  tree  in  the  open  air.  Well 
might  he  add, — '  Sweet  rest  is  not  confined  to 
soft  beds,  for  nature  and  custom  give  sleep  to 

6 


m 


62 


FURNITURE. 


i  ^M 


' ''  ,< 


3m< 


these  Americans  on  the  earth,  or  on  a  board.' 
Again — 

*  God  gives  them  sleep  on  Ground,  on  Btraw. 
On  sedgie  mats  or  boord. 
When  English  softest  beds  of  downe 
Sometimes  no  sleep  afford.* 

They  had  no  such  thing  as  a  chair  or  stool. 
Their  bed,  such  as  it  was,  or  the  ground  alone, 
was  all  the  seat  they  required.  They  common- 
ly sat  with  their  elbows  upon  their  knees;  and 
this  is  the  custom  of  their  great  warriors  and 
councillors,  even  now,  at  their  public  treaties 
and  conferences  with  the  whites  and  with  each 
other. 

A  few  wooden  and  stone  vessels  and  instru- 
ments, with  neatly-woven  baskets  of  osier  or 
birch-bark,  answered  all  the  purposes  of  domes- 
tic life.     They  had  no  steel  nor  iron  instrument. 
Their  kmfe  was  a  sharp  stone,  bone,  shell,  or 
kind  of  reed,  which  they  contrived  to  sharpen  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  cut  their  hair,  make  thei'r 
bows  and  arrows,  and  perform  all  the  other  offi- 
ces of  a  knife.    They  had  also  mortars,  and  stone 
pestles,  and  chisels,  and  other  instruments  of 
various   shapes,  used   for  purposes   not  now 
known.      These   things   are  frequently  found 
buried  m  the  soil  to  this  day,  in  almost  ever.- 
part  of  the  country. 


FOOD. 


63 


They  dressed  their  corn  with  aclam-sheU,or 
with  a  stick  flattened  and  sharpened  at  one  end. 
A  large  cockle,  holding  perhaps  half  a  pint, 
sometimes  answered  the  purpose  of  a  spoon. 
A  gourd,  or  a  squash-shell,  was  the  water-jug. 
The  Indians  of  our  times,  hving  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  whites,  have  given  up  the  use  of  most  of 
these  imperfect  instruments,  for  better  ones  bor- 
rowed from  their  example.    • 

The   food  of  the  savages  was  every  where 
coarse  and  simple,  altogether  without  seasoning; 
though  in  some   sections  more   abundant  and 
more  palatable,  as  weU  as  more  easily  obtained 
than  in  othei-s,  according  to  the  soil,  climate, 
water-privileges,  abundance  of  game,  and  other 
circumstances.     They  had  no  spice,  salt,  but- 
ter,  cheese,  nor  milk.     They   drank  nothing 
better  than  the  pure  water,  fresh  and  cold,  as  it 
flowed   in  the  brook,  or  gushed  up   from  the 
spring.     They  fed  on  the  flesh  and  entrails  of 
moose,  deer,  racoons,  geese,  turkeys,  ducks, 
eels,  and  all  kinds  of  fish,  flesh  and  fowl  which 
the  woods  and  waters  afforded.     Of  these  there 
were  enough  in  the  hunting  and  fishing  seasons, 
lo  the  summer,  they  had  also  green  corn,  beans, 
squashes,  and  the  various  fruits  which  thp  rnnn, 
try  naturally  produced.     In  the   winter  they 


64 


POOD. 


were  compeUed  to  subsist  mostly,  without  meat 
of  any  kmd,  upon  such  of  their  summer  vegeta- 
bles  as  they  kept  for  that  season,  together  with 
nuts,  ground-nuts,  acorns  and  liJy-roots. 

They  had  no  set  meals;  but,  like  other  wild 
creatures  ate  when  they  were  hung.y,  and 
could  find  any  thing  to  satisfy  the  cravings  of 
nature.  Sometimes  they  had  litde  or  nodiing 
for  several  days,_especially  if  engaged  in  war! 
-bu  when  daey  had  provisions,  they  feasted 
hearuly  enough  to  counter-balance  all  they  had 
lost  by  their  previous  fasting. 

The  Southern  Indians  suffered  less  from 
scarcty  of  food  than  the  Northern,  for  they 
could  obtam  fish  and  game  in  greater  a'bundance"^ 
m^d  me  forests  furnished  them  with  more  fruits 

«  that  latitude,  were  plenty  of  wild  cherries, 
plums,  currants,  and  berries.  There  were 
chestnuts,  hazel-nuts,  hickory-nuts  and  walnuts. 

£s  mT  "'  '''^^^&-Ves,  pease,  cucum- 

bers, melons,  potatoes  and  pumpkins. 

Most  of  these  grew  in  New  England,   but 
not  m  such  quantities,  nor  always  so  ripe  and 

'These  «r  """T  ''''"''  ''"^'=^'^'  °f  ''«°™^- 
These  akornes  also  they  drie,'  says  Mr.  Wil- 

J>ams,  'and  m  case  of  wan,  of  come,  by  much 


COOKERY. 


65 


boyJing  they  make  a  good  dish  of  them:  yea, 
sometimes  in  plemie  of  come  doe  they  eat 
these  akornes  for  a  Noveltie.' 

Chestnuts  were  preserved  in  the  same  way. 
So  were  walnuts,  which   also  furnished  an  oil 
used  m  anointing  the  hair.     But  as  for  straw- 
berries, we  are  told,  '  This  Berry  is  the  wonder 
of  all  the  Fruits  growing  naturally  in  theseparts. 
It  IS  of  itselfe  excellent.     In  some  Parts  where 
the  Natives  have  planted,  I  have  many  times 
seeneas  many  as  would  fill  a  good  ship  within  a 
few  miles'  compasse.'     The  Indians  used  to 
bruise  the  strawberry  in  a  mortar  and  mix  it 
with  meal,  making  a  sort  of  bread.     Dried  cur- 
rants, treated  in  the  same  way,  made  about  as 
delicate  a  dish.     The  Southern  Indians  used  to 
bou  their  corn,  ten  or  twelve  hours,  into  a  sort 
of  pudding  which  they  called  hominy.     The 
name  is  commonly  applied  to  a  similar   dish 
cooked  by  the  whites  in  that  section  to  this  day. 
Of  the  cookery  of  the  Indians  an  old  writer 
has  very  properly  said,—  <  It  has  nothing  com- 
mendable in  it,  but  that  it  is  performed  with 
little  trouble;  they  have  no  other  sauce  but  a 
good  stomach,  which  they  seldom  want.'* 
Quite  a  number  of  palatable  dishes  beside 

fi  * 


ii 


66 


COOKERT. 


thosv,  .nentioned  already,  were  made  of  tbe  In- 
dmn  corn.     If  n^,  ^.j  j^y,  it  was  pounded  as 
toe  as  possible  in  ihe  mortar,   kneaded   into 
dough,  and  made  up  into  flat  cakes,  which  tliey 
were  careful  to  bake  on  hot  and  dean  ashes. 
With  thi.s  dough  they  frequemi;   n.ixed   boiled 
pumpkms,  green  or  dried,  beans,  chestnuts,  dried 
venison  pounded  to  a  powder,  berries,  and  other 
things.     Sugar,   made  from  the  juice  of  the 
maple-tree,  was  in  many  sections  used  to  sweet- 
en  the  rest.     Corn,  parched,  and   sometimes 
ground  afterwards,  was  often  taken  by  the  hun- 
ter on  his  long  chases;   and  a  small   quantity 
sustained  him  for  several  days. 

They  had  three  modes  of  cooking  their  flesh 
and  fish.     Boiling  was  effected  in  vessels  of 
bark  or   clay,   stoutly  constructed,   by  p  tting 
into  the  water  stones  heated  red-hot  for  the  nur- 
pose.     They  broiled  on  the  naked  coals;  'and 
roasted,  eidier  by  covering  up  with  hot  ashes 
and  coals,  or  upon  sticks  placed  at  a  little  distance 
from  the  fire  and  answering  the  purpose  of  a 
spit.     The  Southern  Indians  called  this  barba- 
cmng;  and  the  name  is  applied  to  a  similar 
process  in  modern  times. 
_  The  Western  and  Northern  tribes  still  con- 
tinue most  of  these  modes  of  cookery,  more  or 


COOKERY. 


91 


68 


POOD. 


i 


«    ■^ 


less,    although   in   many   instances  they   have 
adopted   the  use  of   various  cooking  utensils, 
borrowed  from  the  whites,  which  their  ances- 
tors had  no  knowledge  of.     In  some  sections, 
they  collect,  at  certain  seasons,  large  quantities 
of  wild  rice,   growing  abundantly  around  the 
lakes;    and  many  other  kinds  of  vegetable  food, 
as  well  as  some  kinds  of  fish  and  wild  game, 
are  peculiar  to  different  regions  of  the  country. 
The  Chippewas,  Ottawas,  and  other  tribes 
h'ving  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  great  Lakes, 
subsist  almost  exclusively,  at  some  seasons,  on 
the  white  fish.     There  is  perhaps  no  more  de- 
licious food  of  the  fish  kind  in  the  world.     It 
is  even  better   than  the  trout,  and  those  who 
live  on  it  for  months  together  continue  to  relish 
it  at  the  end  of  that  time  as  a  dainty.     It  weighs 
from  a  pound  or  two  to  fifteen  pounds.     In 


shape  it  resembles  the  shad,  found  in  the  rivers 
of  the  Atlantic  coast;  but  the  head  is  smaller 
and  more  pointed,  and  the  bones  larger  and  less 


FOOD. 


;y  have 
utensils, 
r  ances- 
ections, 
lantities 
jnd  the 
le  food, 
I  game, 
ountry. 
r  tribes 
Lakes, 
ons,  on 
ore  de- 
Id.     It 

36    who 

0  relish 
weighs 
is.     In 


69 


rivers 
mailer 
id  less 


numerous.  The  meat  is  as  white  as  the  breast 
of  a  partridge.  It  loses  some  of  its  flavor  by 
being  salted,  and  in  that  respect  only  is  a  less 
valuable  fish  than  the  shad  and  salmon.  The 
Indians  have  a  way  of  curing  white-fish  by  drying 
in  die  smoke  of  their  wigwams.  In  this  state 
they  are  laid  up  in  large  quantities,  during  the 
autumn,  for  the  winter's  provision. 

They  are  generally  taken  from  canoes.  Each 
canoe  carries  tWo  men;  one  of  whom  steers 
with  a  paddle,  and  the  other  has  a  pole,  ten 
feet  in  length,  furnished  with  a  scoop-net  at  the 
end.  The  steersman  manages  the  boat.  The 
fisherman,  at  the  prow,  watches  his  opportunity 
to  dip  his  net,  and  often  brings  up  as  many  as  it 
can  well  contain.  At  the  best  season  and  hour 
for  fishing,  a  person  who  is  skilled  in  the  busi- 
ness will  take  five  hundred  in  two  hours. 

"When  they  are  wanted  in  the  winter  season, 
which  is  often  the  case,  the  matter  is  managed 
thus.  Several  holes  are  made  in  the  ice;  each 
at  such  a  distance  from  the  next,  that  one  may 
be  reached  from  the  other,  under  the  ice,  by 
the  end  of  a  pole.  A  line,  of  some  hundred 
feet  in  length,  is  thus  conveyed  from  hole  to 
hole,  till  it  is  extended  to  the  length  desired, 
is  ^raw^n  out,  vvitii  one  end  of  tliQ 


r\rtl 


70 


FOOD. 


I    1? 


11,1 .  :.'.» 


line,  which  is  fastened  to  it.     It  is  then  drawn 
back  by  one  of  the  party;  the  net  is  brought 
under;  a  Jarge  stone  is  made  fast  to  the  sinking 
line  at  each  end,  and  let  down  to  the  bottom;  and 
the  net  is  spread  in  the  water  by  sinkers  attach- 
ed to  ditferent  parts  of  it.     The  fish,  running 
against  it,  entangle  their  gills  among  the  mesh- 
es, and  are  thus  detained  till  they  are  taken  up.* 
There  are  said  to  be  certain  tribes,  resident 
beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains,  on  the  banks  of 
the  rivers  flowing  into  the  Pacific  Ocean,  who 
subsist   altogether  upon  fish.      A  celebrated 
traveller,   who    explored    that  region   several 
years  smce,  gives  the  following  account  of  the 
mode  ot    taking  salmon  practised  in  several 
places. 

'  With  great  labor,  they  formed  an  embank- 
ment or  weir  across  the  river,  for  the  purpose 
of  placing  their  fishing  machines,  which  thev 
disposed  both  above  and  below  it.     I  express- 
ed my  wish  to  visit  this  extraordinary  work 
but  these  people  are  so  superstitious,  that  they 
would  not  allow  me  a  nearer  examination  than 
I  could  obtain   by  viewing  it  from  the  bank. 
Thenver  :s  about  fifty  yards  in  breadth,  and 
by  observing  a  man  fish  with  a  dipping-net.  I 


on 


FOOD. 


71 


judged  It  to  be  about  ten  feet  deep  at  the  foot 
of  the  fall.     The  weir  is  a  work  of  great  labor, 
ard  contrived  with  considerable  ingenuity      It 
was  near  four  feet  above  the  level  of  the  water, 
at  the  time  I  saw  it,  and  nearly  the  height  of  the 
bank  on  which  I  stood  to  examine  it.     The 
stream  is  stopped  nearly  two  thirds  by  it;     It  is 
constructed  by  fixing  small  trees  in  the  bed  of 
the  river,  m  a  slanting  position  (which  could  be 
practicable  only  when  the  water  is  much  lower 
than  when  I  saw  it)  with  the  thick  part  down- 
wards; over  these  is  laid  a  bed  of  gravel,  on 
which  ,s  placed  a  range  of  lesser  trees,  and  so 
on   alternately  till  the  work  is  brought  to  its 
proper  height.     Beneath  it   the  machines  are 
placed,  into  which  the  salmon  fall  when  they 
attempt  to  leap  over.     On  either  side  there  is 
a  large  frame  of  timber-work,  six  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  upper  water,  in  which  passages 
are  left  for  the  salmon  leading  directly  into  the 
machmes,  which  are  taken  up  at  pleasure.     At 
the  foot  of  the  fall,  dipping-ne-  are  also  success- 
lully  employed.'  * 

These  people  not  only  ate  no  flesh,  but  for 
some  reason  or  other  regarded  every  thing  of 
the  meat  kind  with  a  siiperstitious  fear.     One 

♦Mackenzie. 


k  ?P 


;*,  JM'j 


i    p  iT^i 


yo 


FOOD. 


It.     , 


of  ( ur  traveller's  party  having  thrown  the  bone 
of  a  deer  into  the  river,  a  native,  who  observed 
the  circumstance,  immediately  dived  and  brought 
It  up.  Having  then  consigned  it  to  the  flames, 
he  proceeded  to  wash  his  hands  as  if  they  were 
polluted.  A  dog  belonging  to  another  native 
was  also  severely  beaten  for  gnawing  a  bone. 

Salmon  were  taken   in   such  abundance  by 
tliese  people,  that,  in  one  place,  four  heaps  were 
seen  lymg  before  the  door  of  a  chief,  each  of 
which  consisted  of  three  or  four  himdred.     Six- 
teen women  were  employed  in  cleaning  and  pre- 
parmg  them  to  be  roasted.     Some  of  them  re- 
quested the  white  men  not  to  fire  off  their  mus- 
kets, for  fear  of  frightening  the  fish  in  the  river 
In   another  place   some  women  were  seen 
employed  m  boiling  sorrel,  and  different  kinds 
of  berries,  with   salmon-roes,  in  large  square 
kettles  of  cedar  wood.     This  pottage,  when  it 
attained  a  certain   consistency,  they  took  out 
with  ladles,  and  poured  it  into  frames  of  about 
twelve  inches  square  and  one  deep,  the  bottom 
being  covered  with  a  large  leaf,  which  were  then 
exposed  to  the  sun  till  their  contents  became  so 
many  dried  cakes.     The  roes  that  are  mixed 
up  with  the  bitter  berries  are  prepared  in  the 
same  way.     From  the  quantity  of  this  kind  of 


FOOD. 


78 


provision,  it  must  be  a  princioal  »rh-M=   cr     . 
and  probably  of  traiBc^    The  e  ^  l/f '' 
also  portable  chests  of  ced^  "  'S  t! 
pack  the  cakes,  as  well  as  th^.v"    ,  ,    ^ 

dried  and  roasted.  ""  '"'"""''  •'°* 

red^nTnt^.^'^Shout  America,   that  the 
red  man  has  always  subsisted  himself  on  th. 


-The  forests  here. 


-      ,  5'^^  and  stiller  waters,  paid 

Of  th  "''i°  the  net  and  spear 
Of  the  red  ruler  of  the  shade.* 

It  Should  be  remarked  of  the  Indians  in  r^ 
auon  to  the  subject  we  have  been  61^:^:^ 
this  chapter,  that   there   is  a  ereat  difr! 
a-ng  the  various  tribes  in  thel  cTo t   flT 
even  where  meats  are  eaten.     The  FivrNa.' 
K>ns  are  said  to  have  never  been  at  all  scrupu 
lous  in  their  selection  of  food      Th.  rT^ 

was  eat  indiscriminately,  a::;litho?be2r 
the  flesh  of  not  only  the  wild-cat,  panther  fo"' 
musk-rat  and  wolf,  but  also  of  the  horse,  Z  and 
many  such  animals,  which  the  DelawarL  Ihaw 
anees  and  other  Southern  tribes,  would  7  l" 
events  suffer  much  from  hunger  before  eal  J 
S^mefflfSfldoj^t  hesitate  to  cut  up  and  bJi 


i 


74 


FOOD. 


I  i 


i;  ! 


their  birds  and  other  game,  without  the  least 
preparation  of  any  kind,  except  to  pluck  out  has- 
tily a  part  of  the  feathers.  Oil  and  fat,  which 
no  white  man  could  endure,  are  common  articles 
of  food. 

Speaking  of  the  taste  of  the  Delawares  of 
Ohio,  the  Missionary  Heckewelder  relates  the 
following  anecdote.  In  the  spring  of  1773,  he 
was  travelling  across  the  woods  from  the 
Muskinghum  river  to  the  Big  Beaver.  More 
than  twenty  Indians  were  in  company  with  him. 
Five  of  them  were  old  men.  The  rest  were 
women  and  children, — all  strangers  to  that  part 
of  the  country,  excepting  one  only,  who  under- 
took to  act  as  guide  to  the  rest  of  the  party. 
A  powerful  rain  came  up  while  they  were  upon 
this  journey,  and  they  found  themselves  hem- 
med in  by  two  large  creeks  which  were  now 
overflowing  their  banks.  Their  provisions 
were  soon  exhausted;  and  every  man  who  had 
a  gun,  was  called  upon  to  scour  the  surrounding 
woods,  in  search  of  game.  But  their  exertions 
were  to  no  purpose.  The  day  passed  off,  and 
tho  hunters  returned  to  camp  at  night, — all  but 
a  well  known  Chief,  whose  name  was  Popun- 
HANK,— bringing  nothing  with  them  but  a  sin 
gle  wild-cat. 


(»'Jf  H 


FOOD. 


be  least 
out  has- 
,  which 
articles 

ares  of 
ites  the 
773,  he 
im  the 
More 
th  him. 
)t  were 
tiat  part 
under- 
5  party, 
'e  upon 
s  hem- 
re  now 
(visions 
bo  had 
lunding 
ertions 
ff,  and 
all  but 

*OPUN- 

a  sin 


75 


Indians  are  never  discouraged;  or  at  least, 

never  confess  that  they  are.     One  of  the  old 

men  gravely  pronounced  the  wild-cat  ^good^ 

very  good! '  and  it  was  immediately  ordered  to 

be  put  on  a  wooden  spit,  and  roasted  by  the 

women  for  supper.     While  this  was  going  on, 

the  old  Indian  endeavored  to  keep  up  the  spirits 

of  the  party  by  jesting  about  the  fine  country 

they  were  now  in,  where  such  choice  food  was 

to  be  had;  to  all  which  some  other  one  of  the 

old  men  would  reply— ^  all  true  !  very  true!  '— 

and  thus  the  evening  wore  away. 

At  length,  about  nine  o'clock,  the  cook  came 
to  tell  them  that  the  meat  was  done,  and  they 
might  commence  eating  it.     The  Missionary, 
who  was  very  hungry,  heard  the  summons  with 
great  pleasure;  but  much  to  his  surprise,  no- 
body rose  to  obey  it.     The  whole  night  passed 
away  without  any  one  attempting  to  partake  of 
the  wild-cat.      In  the  mon.i^g  the  women  pre- 
pared  a  large  kettle  full  of  some  kind  of  herb 
tea,  and  all  the  company  eagerly  went  forward 
lor  a  share  of  it;  but  the  wild-cat,  thougli  well 
roasted,  still  lay  untouched.      One  of  the  old 
men  indeed  asserted  ..at   le  thought  it  as  good 
eating  as  a  bear  or  a  hog,  which  the  white  peo- 
pie  liked  veiy  much;  but  he  seemed  not  to  be 


h  'I 


76 


CANNIBALISM. 


it/ 

ft 


L'T''-'u*"'^  ""*"  "°  movement,  himself, 
towards  ejther  consuming  or  carving  the  wild- 

Cat* 

At  last  Popunhank,  who  was  supposed  to  be 
lost,  came  m,  together  with  the  guide,  who  had 

ChieVrttt  r""''™-      H«  had  found  the 
Chief  at  the  distance  of  five  or  six  miles  from 

r  ""^P'  "''""■^  hehadsucceededin  killing  a  fine 
deer;  and  this  animal  they  were  now  dragging 
a>.  The  Indians  were  delighted.  They  made 
no  boisterofs  rejoicing,  which  Indians  never 
do;  but  called  cun,  with  one  voice,-'  Anischi!' 
Amsch! '-('  We  are  thankful. ')  The  wild- 
cat was  now  taken  by  the  tail  and  thrown  away 

It  has  been  said  of  the  Indians  generally,  and 
especially  of  particular  tribes   more   ferodous 
than  the  rest,  t^iat  they  ate  human  flesh;  in  other 
words   that  they  are  cannibals.     This  is  believ- 
ed to  be  unsupported  by  fact.     No  doubt  the 
opinion  has  arisen  from  the  circumstance,  that 
an  instance  of  the  kind  has  now  and  then  been 
blown  to  occur.     This  was  under  circumstances 
of  extreme  suffering  from  famine,  where  the 
hfe  of  one  has  been  sacrificed,  perhaps  in  a  fit 


CANNIBALISM.  ^m 

Of  frenzy,  to  save   that  of  another.      Similar 
ses  have  occurred  among  civilized  peop"   n 
a    countries;  but  it  by  no  means  .bUows  th  t 
all  civiJized  people  are  cannibals. 

Nearly  a  hundred  years  ago,  there  was,  in 
certain  parts  of  this  country,  a  remarkably  seve  e 
winter,  known  for  a  long  time  afterwards'as"  1^ 
hard  wmter,'  when  the  ground  was  covered  wi^ 

liZ  iT  ""^  '"  *^  ^^^^°°-     About  this 
mie  an  Indian  woman,  of  the  Delaware  tribe 

I  iT'r'""  '"''^"°'''"°°''  '°  t^-^el  across 
the  Alleghany  mountains,  to  visit  some  of  her 
relations  residing  near  the  west  branch  of  the 
Susquehannah.  What  was  still  worse,  she  had 
three  children  with  her. 

noin?"'  '^1  ^^-  "''*  '"""''  '^■'»<=""y  ^e^^hed  a 
pome  in   the  river  which  is   called  Chingle- 

Clamoose,   the   snow  began  falling  a^ain   i„ 

greater  quantities  than  ever.     In  fi„t,  £    v  " 

compelled  to  stop,  and  make  herself  as  "good 

a  camp  as  she  was  able.     Having  very  little 

childien  on  short  allowance,  still  hoping  that  the 

weather  would  become  more  moderafe,  or  the 

snow  so  crusted  over  that  they  might  walk  over 

fte  surface  of  it  with  ease.     Her  little  store 

of  food  was  eked  out  by  using  the  withered 

7* 


L  1.  ■: 


78 


CANNIBALISM. 


(  ' 


grass  found  on  the  river's  edge;  and  also  with 
certain  barks  which  she  boiled,  to  make  them 
eatable  and  digestible. 

But  the  snow  continued  falling,  till  at  length 
it  reached  the  height  of  six  feet,  so  that  even 
the  wretched  species  of  sustenance  just  men- 
tioned was  no  longer  to  be  found.     The  wolves, 
too,  more  ferocious  than  usual  with  hunger  like 
her  own,  hovered  thick  about  her  little  encamp, 
ment,  both  n:,       ,nd  day;  and  it  required  her 
whole  time  ana  strength  to  preserve  fire  enough 
to  prevent  her  children  being  frozen  to  death, 
while  the  wolves  could  only  be  kept  at  a  dis- 
tance by  throwing  out  fire-brands  among  them. 
Her  situation  soon  became  intolerable.     Hav- 
'  g  no  alternative  but  that  of  sacrificing  one  of 
i    ^   children,  she  resolved  on   destroying  the 
youngest,  in  order  to  preserve  the  rest.     After 
much  hesitation,  she   turned   away  her  eyes, 
and  with  a  trembling  hand  and  a  loud  cry  of 
despair,   gave   to   one   of  the   innocent   little 
BufFerers  a  stroke  which  deprived  him  of  his 
life. 

She  now  thought  she  had  obtained  a  tempo- 
rary relief,  and  that  she  migl.t  be  able  to  sup- 
port herself  and  her  remaining  children  until 
Buch  a  change  should  take  place  in  the  weather 


also  with 
ike  them 

at  length 
that  even 
jst  men- 
!  wolves, 
nger  like 
encamp- 
ired  her 
e  enough 
3  death, 
at  a  dis- 
g  them. 
Hav- 
;  one  of 
^ing  the 
After 
r  eyes, 
cry  of 
It   little 
of  his 

tempo- 
to  sup- 
n  until 
j^eathei 


I 


CANNIBALISM.  79 

as  would   enable  them  to  proceed  on  their 

journey  But  the  wolves  had  now  go,  scent 
of  the  slaughtered  child,  and  they  became 
more  funous  than  before,  howling  continually 
around  the  encampment  in  a  most  frightful 
manner  She  wept,  and  prayed  to  the  Great 
Spmt;  but  st,ll  no  relief  came.  Her  horrid 
lood  Itself  was  again  exhausted. 

She  had  determined,   in  fine,  to   sacrifice 
another  child,  and  her  hand  was  lifted  to  give 
-the  fatal  blow,  when  she  suddenly  heard  the 
yell  ol  two  approaching  savages,  and  the  mur- 
derous weapon  fell  to  the  ground.     They  soon 
came  up,  furnished  with  a  kind  of  snow-shoes 
which   enable  the  Indians  to  travel  with  ease 
■n  the  depth  of  the  winter.     They  immediately 
made  a  similar  pair  for  her  own  use;  and  taking 
the  children  in  their  arms,  set  off  all  together 
for  the  place  of  her  destination,    which   they 
soon  reached  in  safety. 

T1.3  spot  where  this  awful  event  took  place 
was  long  pointed  out  by  all  the  Indians  in  that 
section  of  the  country  as  'the  place  where 
human  flesh  was  eaten'-in  their  own  language, 

The  celebrated  traveller,  Alexander  Henry, 
S'ves  a  striking  description  of  a  scene  which 


liV'l 


4"       H    M 


'  ;.! 


<li 

i 

mmM 

80 


CANNIBALISM. 


r<  )( 


occurred   at  Oak   Bay,  on  the  north  side  of 
Lake  Superior,  in  the  winter  of  1 767.     He  went 
to  that  pJace,  for  the  purpose  of  taking  fish  in 
the  Lake,  in  company  with  several  other  white 
men,  each  of  whom  had  with  him  but  a  single 
pmt  of  corn.     After  being  at  Oak  Bay  a  fort- 
night,—sometimes  meeting  with  good  success 
in  their  fishing,    but  at  other   times   suffering 
much  from  hunger,— they  were  joined    by   a 
party  of  Indians,  flying,  like  themselves,  from 
famme.     Two  days  after,  there  came  a  young 
Indian  out  of  the  woods,  alone.     He  reported 
that  he  had  left  the  family  to  which  he  belonged, 
behind,  in   a  starving   condition,   and  unable, 
Irom  their  sickly  and  exhausted  state,  to  pur- 
sue their  intended  journey  to  the  Bay.     The 
appearance  of  the  man  was  frightful;  and  his 
breath  was  so  intolerable  that  none  of  the  other 
Indians  would  venture  near  him.     Indeed,  the 
camp  was  thrown  into  an  uproar  by  his  arrival. 
Before  long,  some  of  the  Indians  came  to 
Henry,  and  told  him  they  suspected  the  new 
comer  of  having  consumed  human  flesh,  and 
even  of  having  devoured  the  family  which  he 
pretended  to  have  left  behind.     These  charges, 
upon  being  questioned  by  Henry,  he  denied, 
but  m  sucli  a  manner  as  rather  to  increase  the 


CANNIBALISM.  g^ 

'7't'u  T"''  '"'»'  '"  '•onsequence  of 
wb.ch  he  Indians  resolve.l  to  set  out  and  travel 
a  day's  journey  on  his  track.     They  diiso 

a  uman  hand  ana  skull.  The  hand  had  been 
left  roasfng  before  a  fire,  an.l  some  other  par." 
of  Je  body  were  s^en  hanging  upon  .:,e  bushes 
>n  the  vicinity  of  the  same  -'  ce. 

The  young  man,  being'  informed  of  those 
-discoveries,  and  more  closely  questioned,  con- 
fessed the  crime   of  which   he   w=«   »  a 
P„„„  ,,                        wiucu   ne   was   accused. 

*rom  the  account  he  now  proceeded  to  give 
"  appeared  that  the  family  had  consisted  of  his 

One  of  t  "".'■',.*"'■  '°"  •=''"*«"  ""d  himself. 
One  of  the  children  was  a  boy  of  fifteen  years 

of  the  chase,  all  of  which  he  missed,  fell  into 
despondence,  and  persuaded  himself  that  it  was 

he  wi  I  of  the  Great  Spirit  that  he  should  per- 
ish- In  this  state  of  mind,  he  requested  his 
w.fe  to  kill  him.     The  woman  refused  to  Im 

said,  the  nephew,  and  the  other  the  son  of  the 
unhappy  man,  agreed  between  themselves  to 
mu  der  h>m,  to  prevent,  as  the  informant  wished 
to  msmuato,  his  murdering  them.  Accom- 
Phshing  their  detestable  purpose,  they  devoured 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


{/  ^% 


1.0 


I.I 


2.5 
2.2 


1^ 

-  lia  ill  10 


IL25  III!  1.4 


1.6 


rnuuJglBpinL 

Sdences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MASN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  372-4503 


82 


CANNIBALISM. 


the  body;  and  famine  pressing  upon  them  still 
closer,  they  successively  killed  the  three  young- 
er children,  upon  whose  flesh  they  subsisted 
for  some  time,  and  with  a  part  of  which  the 
parricides  at  length  set  out  for  the  Lake,  leaving 
the  woman,  who  was  too  feeble  to  travel,  to  her 
fate.  On  their  way,  their  foul  victuals  fail- 
ed; the  informant  killed  his  companion;  and  it 
was  a  part  of  the  remains  of  this  last  victim 
that  had  been  discovered  at  the  fire.* 

So  iar  are  the  Indians   from  regarding  the 
practice  of  cannibalism  with  any  sort  of  indul- 
gence, that  owing  to  tlie  prejudice  against  it,  it 
is  a  common  belief  among  them  that  the  horrid 
wretch,  who  had  once  made  human  flesh  his 
food,  must  suffer  the  punishment  of  being  never 
afterwards    satisfied    with    any    other.      Mr. 
Henry  states,  that  the  young  man  at  Oak  Bay 
appeared  to  verify  this  opinion.     We  are  told, 
that  he  ate  with  relish  nothing  that  was  given 
him;  but,  indifferent  to  the  food  prepared,  fixed 
his  eyes  continually  on  the  children  which  were 
in  the  Indian  lodge,  and  frequently  exclaimed, 
'  How  fat  they  are!'— It  was  perhaps  not  un- 
natural, that   after  long   acquaintance  with  no 


♦  Henry's  Travels  and  Adventures. 


CANNIBALISM.  gg 

human  form  but  such  as  was  gaunt  and  pale 
from  want  of  food,  a  man's   eyes   should  be 
almost  nveted  upon  any  thing,  «here  misery 
had  not  made  such  imxjads,  and  still  more  upon 
the  bloom  and  plumpness  of  childhood;  and  the 
exclamation  might  be  the  most  innocent,  and 
might  proceed  from  an  involuntary  and  uncon- 
querable sentiment  of  admiration.— Be  this  as 
It  may,  his  behavior  was  considered,  and  not 
less  naturally,  as  marked  with  the  most  alarm- 
•Dg  symptoms;  and  the  Indians,  apprehensive 
that  he  would  prey  upon  their  children,  resolved 
on  putung  him  to  death.     They  did  this  the 
next  day,  with  a  single  stroke  of  an  axe,  aimed 
at  his  head  from  behind,  and  of  the  approach 
ot  which  he  had  not  the  smallest  intimation.* 

•  Henry'a  TraTeU  and  AdventurM. 


84 


MlNUrACTURES. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Account  of  the  state  of  Manufactures  and  other  Arts  amonir 
the  IndJans-Their  weapons  of  war-Their  instruments  of 
nav,gation-The  log  and  the  bark  canoe,  of  ancient  and 
modern  times,  and  mode  of  building  each-Clearing  land 
of  trees— Kindling  fire-Anecdotes  of  Indian  Navigation  of 
t^ie  Northern  Lakes-Skill  of  Indian  women  in  the  use  of 
tJie  paddle-Poetical  description  of  the  birch  canoe-The 
snow.8hoe-The  sledge-The  dog-train-Agricuhural  im- 
plement^Anecdotes  from  Mc'Kenzie's  Travels  in  the  West. 


The  specimens  which  have  been  preserved 
of  the  mechanical  skiU  of  the  ancient  Indians 
still  more  than  those  of  a  more  modern  date' 
abundantly   show  the  natural  ingenuity  of  the 
race.     Since  the  use  of  the  metals,  and  various 


arts 

exte 

the 

reso 

F 

no  ij 

made 

coulc 

regulj 

woylc 

whicli 

arrow 

from  1 

inches 

were  ] 

pan,  t( 

fastene 

The 

(which 

made  o 

fashione 

surface 

stones. 

from  fot 

and  the 

The  goi 

except  th 


UAWOTACTUBES.  g- 

arts  have  been  introduced  among  them  ,„ 
extent  b;.  the  whites,  they  haSed  11"""' 
the  superiority  of  the  latter   !  T,        ^  °" 
resources  of  their.       •  T  '  ^"^  '*'*  °n  *e 

.      example,  they  had  ia  the  fir<!f  m.,» 
no  iron.     Their  oJo,.  „  j  instance 

made  of  the  vlTl  Tt  T""'^^'  '^«'« 
could  be  foL;73„'7;:;i°V' ^^  '^'^'='' 
regidar  forms,  i;  71^:^^^^  '^'  "' 
would  think  of  Pffi..,-        ■  r  °  ^'"'^  ««n 

-hich  the    £Ss    dr''r*^''"''''f'°°'' 
-row-head  w^TwJded  .f""  ••      '^'^ 

iiiB  spear-heads  were  Jare-Pr  n  *u 
were  f^jrnished  with  a  nntnh  •  l^  :  ^""^^ 
Dart   tn  w.     •       ;  ^^^^  ^"  f^e   broadest 

EnrdroTwt;^-:^---.  w^^^ 

made  of  a  softer  kind  of  ^ck  1^'""'"^ 
fashioned  into  handsome  pr"po«ion  2  T" 
surface  made  smooth  bvr„hK-  '•  *^"" 
stones      Tho  ^  ™''""S  agamst  other 

ui  lo  SIX  inches  in  Jenffth,  two  m  wi^fk 
-d  the  greatest  thickness  an  iLh  S,"  le ' 
fhe  gouges  were  made  like  th^  ,„J  I     . 

8 


86 


MANUFACTURES. 


MANUFACTURES. 


87 


of  being  rounded  on  both  sides.*     The  pestles 

were  cyhndrical  in  form,  and  from  six  to  twelve 

inches  in  diameter— Many  of  these  are  now  in 

use,  and  are  preferred  to  those  made  of  iron 

or  wood.     The  knives  resembled  the  segment 

of  a  circle,  or  one  of  the  outside  pieces  of  a 

barrel-head,  the  curved  side  bemg  used  for  the 

edge.     Their  axes,  which  were   larger,  were 

wedge-shaped,  and  had  a  groove  around  them, 

for  a  withe  handle. 

The  wooden  part  of  the  arrow  was  a  young 
elder-stick,  or  some  other  straight  slim  stick  or 
reed.  That  of  the  tomahawk  was  stouter,  and 
two  or  three  feet  in  length.  Sometimes,  a 
knot  or  knob  at  the  end  of  it,  answered  the 


purpose  of  a  stone  head;  at  other  times  a  piece 
of  deer's  horn.  The  spear  also  was  often 
furnished  in  the  same  manner,  or  perhaps 
merely  hardened  at  one  end  in  the  fire.  The 
bow-string  was  made  of  the  sinews  of  deer,  or 
of  the  Indian  hemp. 

With  respect  to  navigation,  the  Atlantic  In- 

*  See  the  plate  which  represents  canoe-making,  ^ 


88 


CANOE-MAKING. 


dians  had  made  no  improvement  beyond  the 
construction   and   management  of  the   canoe. 
Ihis   was  commonly  made,   not  of  bark,    as 
among  modem  tribes,  but  of  a  large  log  of  pine 
or  other  long  and  straight  trunk  of  easily  wrought 
wood.     The  canoe  was  in  fact  a  great  trough. 
Ihe  largest  would  carry  more  than  fifty  men- 
but  they  were  not  often  more  than  twenty  feet 
long  and  three  wide. 

The  construction  of  them,  with  such  wretch- 
ed tools  as  the  gouges  and  knives  described 
above,  was  a  singular  performance.     The  tree 
was  brought  down  by  making  a  small  fire  round 
the  root,  together  with  the  use  of  the  hatchet: 
and  when  the  trunk  was  prostrate,  it  was  burnt 
offat  the  length  desired.   The  bark,  atthe  season 
when  sap  runs  in  the  wood,  could  be   easily 
stripped  off,  and  the  heat  of  a  fire  loosened  it 
at  any  season.     The  log  was  then  raised,  upon 
stones  or  stakes,  to  a  convenient  height  for 
workmg,  when  the  process  of  hollowing  was 
efiected  by  burning  with  gentle  fires,  and  by 
scraping  with  the  gouge.     The  ends  were  prop- 
erly shaped,  and  the  work  was  completed. 

>Vhen  the  object  was  to  clear  a  considerable 
piece  of  land  of  its  woods,  instead  of  burning 
and  chopping  the  trees  down  one  by  one,  the 


as 


90 


OANOC-MAKINO. 


Indians  cut  a  notch  round  the  trunb,  quite 
Jrough  the  bark,  with  their  hatchets.  That 
deadened  the  trees,  and  as  they  withered  imme- 
d^ately,  the  ground  might  be  planted  at  once.  If 
otherwise,  m  a  course  of  a  year  at  two,  a  high 
wind  generally  laid  them  all  prostrate.  The 
fire  spoken  of  above  was  kindled,  as  in  modem 
times,  by  rubbing  particular  kinds  of  wood  vio- 

SJ^T'  ""'^  °"'er,_ge„erally  a  piece  of 
hard  wood  agamst  one  more  soft  and  dry;  pine 
for  mstance,  against  oak.  Rotten-wood^;„d  d.!; 
leaves  answered  the  purpose  of  tinder. 

Canoes  were  also  made.-chiefly  i„  New 
En6land,-as  Aey  are  by  the  modem  Indians, 
of  bark,  particularly  that  of  the  birch-tree.    The 
tribes  of  the  Northern  Lakes  make  them  wholly 
of  this  material,  with  a  little  soft  wood  and  pine- 
gum  or  boiled  pitch,  without  a  nail  or  a  W  of 
n>etal  of  any  kind  to  confine  the  parts.     The 
entire  ouuide  is  bark.     Where  the^dges  oft 
come  together  at  the  bottom  or  along  the  sides, 
they  are  sewed    very  closely  with  a  sort  of 
vegeu  le  thread  called  „<.,„;,_„ade  of  .SoJ 

Next  to  the  bark,  are  pieces  of  cedar,  staven 
aimfe.     These  run  lengthwise,  and  are  pressed 


NATIOATION.  y. 

against  the  bark  by  mean,  of  cedar  ribs  fitted 

^U,abo„on,  and  sides  of  the  canoe,  in  he; 
posite  direction,  and  which,  at  the  upper  end 

caUhTl't-T  ?\S""-'^'^«'  (="  »h«  whites 
ca  I  «,)  to  which  the  baric  and  ribs  are  all  sewed 

««h  ^attap.     Across  the  boat  are  several  bar'! 
wh,chkeep«,n  shape,  and  are  also  fastened 
to  thegunwale.     The  seats  of  those  who  paddle 
are  alongside  of,  but  below  the  bars.-^ade 
of  plank  or  board,  a  few  inches  wide,  ^d  hung 

used  Thrf  r°'^'-  ''°"'^"'  "°  -'"^  «« 
used.  The  Indian  adjusts  himself  on  the  bot- 
tom.    They  are  sometimes  thirty  feet  long,  and 

of  course  capableofaccommodatingquiteaLy. 
^ke  a  log  canoe;*  but  more  frequently  they  a« 

are  so  hght  and  small  as  to  be  veiy  easily  carried 
a  long  distance  on  a  man's  head.     This  makes 

wh?„  .r''"'""  ^°'  *"^^"'"S  in  the  winter, 
when  the  streams  and  lakes  are  frozen,  as  well 
as  for  navigating  shallow  or  rapid  streams, 
lie  bark-canoes,  of  whatever  size,  indeed, 

•See  the  plate  prefixed  to  this  Chapter. 


92 


NAVTOATrOIT 


are  so  fragile  as  to  be  easily  damaged  and  de- 
stroyed by  overloading^  or  by  running  against 
obstacles  in  the  water.     The  larger  ones,  used 
on  the  Lakes,  are  made  to  cak ry  a  weight  of 
stores,  tents  and  baggage,  to  the  amount  of  from 
four  to  eight  thousand  pounds;  but  in  this  case 
the  bottom  is  defended  by  a  layer  of  long  poles, 
which  cause  the  burden  to  press   equally  on 
all  points.     The  paddles  are  of  red-cedar,  and 
very  light.     The  blade  is  about  three  inches 
wide,  except  the  steersman's,  behind,  which  is 
five  inches i     One  of  the  crew  looks  out  in  front, 
to  prevent  running  upon  rocks.     In  mounting  a 
rapid  current,  a  stout  pole  is  used  instead  of 
the  paddle;  and  those  who  use  it  are  obliged  to 
stand   erect.     This  makes  the  navigation  ex- 
ceedingly difficult,    and  sometimes  dangerous, 
even  for  those  most  accustomed  to  it.     Of  the 
whites,  perhaps  not  one  out  of  ten  could  safely 
for  the  first  time  navigate  a  small  birch  canoe, 
even  in  smooth  water,  without  oversetting  it. 

An  advantage  in  most  of  these  boats,  which 
should  not  be  forgotten,  is,  that  tlie  two  ends 
being  generally  fashioned  and  shaped  much 
alike,  both  answer  equally  well  for  the  prow  or 
stern,  so  that  there  is  no  necessity  of  turning 
them  round.     When  they  are  so  constructed,. 


NAVIGATION.  93 

as  to  admit  of  a  sail  being  hoisted,  the  Indians 

will  accomplish  sixty  miles  with  them  in  a  day 

without  it,  about  half  that  distance.  ' 

It  is  but  two  or  three  years  since  a  member 

of  the  Penobscot  tribe,  residing  at  Old  Town,  in 

Mame,  paddled  one  of  the  smallest  kind  of  birch 

canoes  all  the  way  along  the  Atlantic   Coast 

from  the  mouth  of  his  own  river  to  the  harbor 

of  New  York. 

'  Not  only  the  women,  but  even  the  little  girls, 
paddle  these  canoes  with  great  skill.     They  sit 
in  the  bottom  of  the  boat.     The  woman  at  the 
stern stnkesherpaddle  into  the  water,— reaching 
well  forward,  both  with  her  arms  and  body? 
Bringing  up  the  handle  to  a  line  with  her  should- 
er, she  turns  its  edge  quick  to  the  current,  and 
mchnes  the  blade  in  and  out,  slow  or  fast,  as 
the  direction  of  the  canoe  may  require      If  a 
wrong  direction  is  given  to  it,  the  paddle  is 
turned  backward,  and  the  right  course  instantly 
regained.     In  a  word,  the  wild-duck  does  not 
float  more  buoyantly  or  move  more  lightly  on 
the  waves,  to  all  appearances,  than  this  curious 
vessel  under  the  management  of  the  women. 
On  reaching  the   shore,  which  is  always  ap- 
proached cautiously,  the  whole  company  rise 
together  from  the  bottom,  and  leave  it  together 


94 


NAVIGATION. 


with  the  same  activity.  The  boat  rises  like  a 
feaiher;  and  the  last  who  steps  out,  takes  it  by 
on^.  of  the  bars  that  cross  it  about  midway, 
slings  it  over  one  shoulder,  and  walks  off  with 
It  as  if  it  were  a  hand-basket. 

On  the  whole,  no  more  than  justice  is  done 
to  this  remarkable  specimen  of  savage  ingenuity, 

which  the  whites  have  never  been  able  to 

improve  upon,  or  even  equal, — in  the  poetical 
description  of  a  traveller  who  has  himself  had 
occasion  to  put  its  excellent  qualities  to  the 
test.* 

In  the  region  of  lakes,  where  the  blue  waters  sleep, 

Our  beautiful  fabric  was  buiit  ; 
Light  cedar  supported  its  weight  on  the  deep. 

And  its  sides  with  the  sun-beams  were  gilt. 

The  bright  leafy  bark  of  the  betula*  tree, 

A  flexible  sheathing  providetJ  ; 
And  the  fir's  thready  roots  drew  the  parts  to  agree, 

And  bound  down  its  high-swelling  sides. 

No  compaf<«  or  gavel  was  used  on  the  bark. 

No  art  but  the  simplest  degree  ; 
But  the  structure  was  finished,  and  trim  to  remark. 

And  as  light  as  a  Sylph's  could  be. 

Its  rim  was  with  tender  young  roots  woven  round. 

Like  a  pattern  of  wicker-vork  rare ; 
And  it  pressed  on  :he  vruves  with  as  lightsome  a  bound. 

As  a  basket  suspended  in  air. 


*  Mr.  Schoolcraft.    See  Mc'Kenney's  Tour  to  the  Lakes, 
t  Betula  pspyracae. 


SNOW-SHOE.  95 

And  Btill  as  we  floated  by  rock  and  by  shell, 

Our  bark  raised  a  murmur  aloud ; 
And  it  danced  on  tlie  waves,  as  they  rose,  as  they  fell. 

Like  a  Fay  on  a  bright  summer  cloud. 

We  said,  as  we  passed  o'er  tlie  liquid  expanse, 

With  tlie  landscape  in  smiling  array ; 
How  blest  should  we  be,  if  our  lives  should  advance. 

Thus  smoothly  and  sweetly  away. 

The  Snow- Shoe  is  another  of  the  ingenious 
mechanical  contrivances  of  ths  Indians,  and 
one  without  which  they  would  be  much  at  a 
loss,  especially  in  the  Northern  regions.     They 


are  about  three  feet  long,  and  a  foot  wide  in  the 
broadest  part.  Little  sticks  placed  across  at 
five  or  six  inches  from  each  end,  serve  to 
strengthen  them.  A  net- work  of  twisted  deer- 
skin, cut  into  strips,  is  fastened  to  the  frame, 
and  to  this  the  foot  is  confined  by  means  of 
strings  of  the  same  material.  The  snow-shoe 
used  for  travelling  over  a  hilly  country,  is  turn- 
ed up  at  the  end,  and  pointed.  To  walk  well 
upon  these  long  and  broad  bottoms,  requires  as 
much  practice  as  it  does  to  navigate  a  ea 
The  knees  raust  be  turned  a  little  inward. 


UUliUC 


96 


SLEDGE. 


'M 


the  legs  kept  wide  asunder;  and  the  strain  of 
he  strings  .s  such,  that  a  white  man  never  puU 
Jen,  on  to  wear  for  a  day,  without  suffering 
what  IS  called  the  '  snow-shoe  evil.'  An  In- 
d.an  wdl  travel  with  them  forty  miles  a  day,  and 
sometimes  more.  "^-.-na 

The  sledge  is  of  frequent  utility  i„  the  winter 
season;  and  this,  too,  though  of  very  simp  e 
manufacture,  ,s  managed  with  much  more  skill 
by  an  Indian  than  by  a  white  man.  This  ear- 
off  ;h-\  f™P''''  '■^'"■°"'  '^°"='='=  merely 
of  a  thin  board,  a  foot  wide,-or  of  two  narrow 

ones,  made  to  answer  the  same  purpose,_six 
or  seven  f  Hong.  The  fore-p^  if  genera  ; 
wiJituT  ?'  '"•^  '^^  ^'-^^^  ^'  bordered 
fo  binding  on  baggage.  However  laden  these 
httle  vehicles  may  be,  the  owner  draws  them 
over  the  snow-crust,  with  perfect  ease  and  grea" 

?:tin'w]:-';:r°'^^°"^ ''''"'' "'•'X 

o.  skin,  which  he  puts  over  his  breast.     They 
rdt".:L"^^"^-'^''--^^"SthewoundeJ 

Several  of  the  modem  tribes,  chiefly  resident 
beyond  the  Mississippi,_such  as  thi  Os^^' 
lT"f  ^«^™-'— e  in  the  habit  of  ^on! 
stant  „di„s  on  horse-back;  and  the  greater  pa^t 


DOG-TRAIN. 


m 


m '  h 


1=1! 


98 


DOG-TRAIN. 


of  their  hunting,  as  well  as  their  warfare,  is  car- 

ried  on  in  this  manner.  But  in  the  more  northern 

latitudes  the  dog-train  is  equally  serviceable, 

though  more  used  by  the  whites  than  the  Indians. 

It  is  a  light  frame  of  wood,  covered    round 

with  a  dressed  skin.     The  part  in  which  the 

feet  go,  is  lined  with  furs,  and  is  covered  in, 

like  the  fore-part  of  a  shoe.     The  bottom  is  of 

plank,  about  half  an  inch  thick;  and  some  six 

inches  longer  than  the  train,  and  an  inch  or  two 

wider.   ^  In  this  carriage  a  woman  may  sit  quite 

comfortably,  and  can  take  a  child  in  her  arms, 

while  her  driver,  standing  on  the  part  of  the 

frame  which  runs  out  behind,  gives  the  word  to 

his  dogs.     These,  when  well-trained,  will  trot 

off  forty  milos  a  day,  over  the  snow  crust. 

When  to  the  implements  and  arts  we  have 
now  described,  we  add  a  scanty  cultivation  of 
corn,  squashes,  beans  and  pumpkins,  on  a  patch 
of  weedy  ground,  not  at  all  enclosed,  formerly 
with  scarce  any  other  tools  than  shells;— togeth- 
er with  a  few  contrivances  for  hunting  and  fish- 
ing,* such  as  snares  made  of  skins,  nets  of 
wild  hemp,  and  hooks  of  fish-bones;— we  have 
given  an  almost  complete  account  of  Indian 
mechanics. 


'  See  Chapters  on  Hunting  and  Fishing. 


MANUFACTURES. 


99 


Mr.  Hearne  gives,  in  his  Travels,  an  anec- 
dote curiously   illustrating   the   ingenuity,    (as 
well  as  hardihood,)  to  which  even  the  female 
savage  becomes   accustomed  by  the  force  of 
necessity.     When  he   and   the  Indians  in  his 
company  were  returning  South  from  the  Cop- 
per-Mine River,  they  found,  in  the  midst  of  the 
wilderness,  a  young  Indian  woman,  inhabiting, 
alone,  a  hut  of  her  own  construction.     She  had 
been  captured  in  war,  and  had  run  away  from 
her  master,  but,  winter  coming  on,  found  her- 
self unable  to  reach  her  own  country.     When 
discovered,  she  had  lived  in  this  solitude  near- 
ly eight  months.     She  was,  in  the  opinion  of 
Hearne,  one  of  the  finest  Indian  women  he  had 
ever  seen. — Five  or  six  inches  of  hoop  made 
into  a  knife,  and  the  iron  shank  of  an  arrow- 
head which  served  as  an  awl,  were  the  only 
implements  she  possessed;  and  with  these  she 
made   snow-shoes   and    other   useful   articles. 
For  subsistence  she  snared  partridges,  rabbits 
and  squirrels,  and  had  killed  two  or  three  bea- 
vers, and  some  porcupines.      After   the  few 
deer-sinews  she  had  brought  with  her  were  ex- 
pended in  making  snares  and  sewing  her  ;  ^.)th- 
ing,  she  supplied  their  place  with  the  sinews  of 
rabbits'  legs,  which  she  twisted  together  with 


100 


MANUFACTURES. 


great  dexterity.     Thus  occupied,  she  not  only 
became  reconciled  to  her  desolate  situation,  bu^ 

tul.  n.1 '""' '°  T"'  ^''''^^  ^y  •»=«"fec. 

turing  httJe  pieces  of  personal  ornament.     Her 
clojhing  was  formed  of  rabbit-skins  sewed  to 
ge  her;  the  materials,  though  rude,  being  taste- 
My  disposed,  so  as  to  make  her  garb  assume 
a  pleasing,  though  desert-bred  appearance.   The 

found  her  beauty  and  useful  accompUshments 
occaspd  a  contest  among  the  InLsT  to 

biVd!   J  'r.'^'  '°'  '  "''■^'  ""d  &e  matter 
being^decded,  she  accompanied  them  in  their 

In  regard   to   the   various  instruments  and 
machines  mentioned  in  this  chapter,  to  desert 
all  the  minute  differences  in  them  ^ould  be  an 
endless  task.     We  will  give,  however,  a  sL l 
passage  from  the  description,  furnished   by  a 
feith  ul  traveller,  of  one  of  the  remote  NorA^ 
Western  tribes   who  have  had  no  communica- 
on  with  any  civilized  people  except  occasion- 
aUy  with  sailors  and  fur-traders,  perhaps,  on  the 
Western  shores  of  the  Continent.      ^  '   "  ""^ 
Their  arms,  says  our  traveller,  consist  of  bows 

'«>»  spike  at  one  end,  and  serve  occasionally  as 

r 


MANUFACTURES. 


101 


a  spear.     Their  arrows  are  well  made,  barbed, 
and   pointed  with  iron,  flint,  stone,  or  bone; 
they  are  feathered,  and  from  two  to  two  and 
a  half  feet  in  length.     They  have  two  kinds  of 
spears,  both  which  are  double-edged,  and  of  well 
polished   iron  :  one  of  them   is   about   twelve 
inches  long,  and  two  wide;  the  other  about  half 
the   width,  and  two  thirds  of  the  length;  the 
shafts  of  the  first  are  eight  feet  in  length,  and 
the  latter  six.     They  have  also  spears,  made  of 
bone.     Their  knives  consist  of  pieces  of  iron, 
shaped   and  handled  by  themselves.      Their 
axes  are  something  like  our  adze,  and  they  use 
them  m  the  same  manner  as  we  employ  that  in- 
strument.    They  were,  indeed,  furnished  with 
iron  m  a  manner,  says  our  traveller,  « which 
most  plainly  proved  to   me   that   their  com- 
munication with  tribes,  who  communicate  with 
the  inhabitants  of  the  sea  coast,  cannot  be  very 
difficult,  and  from  their  ample  provision  of  iron 
weapons,  the  means  of  procuring  it  must  be  of 
a  more  distant  origin  than  I  had  at  first  con- 
jectured.' 

They  have  snares  made  of  green  skin,  which 
they  cut  to  the  size  of  sturgeon  twine,  and 
twist  a  certain  number  of  them  together;  and 
though  when  completed  they  do  not  exceed  the 

9# 


102 


MANUFACTLRES. 


thickness  of  a  cod-Ii„e,  their  strength  is  suffi- 
cent  to  hold  a  moose  deer:  lliey  are  from  one 
and  a  half  to  two  fathoms  in  length.     Their 
nets  and  fishing-lines  are  made  of  willow-bark 
and  nettles;  those  made  of  the  latter  being  fin« 
a..d  smoother  than  if  made  with  hempen  thread. 
Then:  hooks  are  small  bones,  fixed  in  pieces  of 
wood  split  for  that  purpose,  and  tied  round  with 
bne  waaape,-the  same  article  elsewhere  used 
m  budding  birch  canoes.     Their  kettles  are 
also  made  of  wattape,  which  is  so  closely  wo- 
ven  that  they  never  leak;  and  they  heat  water 
m   them,   by  putting  red-hot  stones   into  it. 
There  is  one  kind  of  them,  made  of  spruce- 
bark,  which  they  hang  over  the  fire,  but  at  such 
a  distance  as  to  receive  the  heat  without  being 
withm  reach  of  the  blaze,-a  veiy  tedious  opera! 
Oon.     They  have  various  dishes  of  wood  and 
bark;  spoons  of  horn  and  wood,  and  buckets; 
bags  of  leather  and  net-work,  and  baskets  of 
bark,  some  of  which  hold  their  fishing-tackle, 
white  others  are  contrived  to  be  carried  on  the 
back      They  have  a  brown  kind  of  earth  in 
great  abundance,  with   which  they  rub  their 
clothes,  not  only  for  ornament  but  utility,  as  it 
prevents  the  leather  from  becoming  hard  after 
"  ^'^  ^^  «'^ted-    They  have  spruce  bark  in 


MAjruPAOTCBKS.  10$ 

6  .it  plenty,  with  which  they  make  their  ca- 
noes.*  The  mode  of  making  these  is  similar 
to  *at  pracsed  by  the  Lake  Indians,  already 

The  most  ingenious  of  the   tribes,  in  the 
manufacture  of  useful  furniture  and  utensils,  as 
m  the  construction  of  buildings,   were   diose 
who  hved  farthest  South.     These  were  in  the 
habn  of  making  the  best  bows  and  arrows,  and 
tlie  handsomest  stone  pipes.     They  also  manu- 
factured  good  saddles  of  a  rude  kind,  and  wove 
a  handsome  coarse  cloth  of  the  wild  hemp,  as 
indeed  some  of  the  remote  Western  tribes  at 
the  present  day  do  of  a  kind  of  oark. 

JMc»Kenzie.     See  his  'Voyages  from  Montreal,  through 
%e  Continent  of  North  America.'  "«^ougn 


104 


DOMESTIC   LIFE. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Domestic  Life  of  the  Indians-Variety  in  their  mode,  of 
courtship  and  marriage-Customs  of  different  tribes— The 
Knistenaux-The  Chippewas-Account  of  Mr.  Tanner's 
courtship  and  matrimony-Anecdotes  of  Indian  ijirls- 
The  Lkoend  of  Wawanosh. 

There  is  no   custom   or   ceremony   in   the 
domestic  life  of  the  Indians,  which  is  practised 
with  more  variations  than  their  courtship  and 
.  marriage. 

Among  many  tribes,  the  negotiation  is  carried 
^n  altogether   by  the   parents   of  the  parties, 
though  not  often  without  their  having  previously 
noticed  some  attachment  between  the  persons 
for  whom  they  act.     The  mother  of  the  bride- 
groom more  frequently,  in  these  cases,  com- 
mences the  movement  by  taking  a  present  to 
the  wigwam  where  the  young  woman  resides, 
---such  as  a  leg  of  venison,  or  a  piece  of  fat 
bear  s-meat,— never  forgetting  to  mention  that 
her  son  was  the  successful  hunter  of  the  game 
In  return,    if  the   mother  of  the   bride   eleci 
approves  of  the  match  which  she  now  under- 
stands  to  be  proposed,  she  prepares  a  savory 
dish  of  victuals,  the  produce  of  tlie  labor  of 
woman,^perhaps  beans,  or  Indian  corn,-<and 


COURTSHIP. 


105 


then  taking  it  to  the  bridegroom's  wigwam, 
gives  It  to  the  mother,  and  says—'  This  is  the 
produce  of  my  daughter's  field.' 

If  afterwards,  the  old  ladies  are  able  to  tell  the 
good  news  to  each  other,  that  the  young  people 
have  pronounced  die  articles  sent  to  them  <■  very 
good,'  the  bargain  is  concluded :— it  being  as 
much  as  if  the  young  man  had  said  to  the  girl 
—'  I  can  at  all  times  provide  you  with  good 
meat  like  this."  and  she  had  replied,— « And 
such  good  victuals  from  the  field  you  shall  have 
from  me ! '     A  few  other  presents  are  exchanged ; 
the  parties  soon  grow  intimate  with  each  other; 
the  young  man  raises  a  wigwam;  the  parents 
perhaps  supply  him  with  a  kettle,  a  few  bowls 
and  baskets,  axes  and  hoes,— and  the  match  is 
made  up:     The  parties  live  together  as  man 
and  wife. 

When  there  are  no  parents  in  the  case,  the 
matter  is  managed  in  various  ways.  The 
simplest  is  a  direct  application  of  the  young 
man  to  the  object  of  his  choice,  in  the  fewest 
words  possible:  If  she  answer  his  proposal 
favorably,  she  eidier  goes  to  live  with  him  im- 
mediately,  or  meets  him  at  an  appointed  time 
and  place.*     In  some  cases,  he  is   content, 

*Heckewelder, 


106 


COURTSHIP 


instead  of  exprescing  his  disposition  in  words, 
to  go  and  sit  by  the  side  of  the  young  woman  in 
her  cabin;  and  if  she  suffers  this,  and  continues 
m  her  place,  her  assent  is  understood  to  bo 
given,  and  the  marriage  is  concluded.*  Other 
presents  than  those  we  have  named,  are  in  use 
among  many  tribes, — frequently  bracelets,  belts 
and  beads.  Among  the  Atlantic  Indians  quite 
generally,  as  with  some  tribes  at  this  day,  it 
was  necessary  to  obtain  the  chiefs  consent  to 
the  marriage,  or  at  least  his  attendance  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  contract. 

Mc'Kenzie  also  relates  that,  among  the  Knis- 
tenaux,  who  inhabit  an  extensive  territory  beyond 
Lake  Winipeg,— when  a  young  man  marries, 
he  immediately  goes  to  live  with  the  father  and 
mother  of  his  wife,  who  treat  him,  nevertheless, 
as  a  perfect  stranger,  till  after  the  birth  of  his 
first  child:  he  then  attaches  himself  more  to 
them  than  his  own  parents;  and  his  wife  no 
longer  gives  him  any  other  denomination  than 
that  of  the  father  of  her  child. 

The  same  traveller  states,  that  among  another 
quite  numerous  North- Western  people,  the 
Chippewas,  the  f^M  are  betrothed  at  a  very 
early  period  to  tix^    o  ^vhom  the  parents  think 


COURTSHIP. 


107 


the  best  able  to  support  them;  nor  is  tie  incli- 
nation of  the  woman  considered. 

Mr.  Tanner,  who  was  taken  prisoner  by  an 
Indian  party  in  war-time,  at  a  very  eaily  age, 
and  who  lived  anion^  various  tribes  of  the 
North- West  about  thirty  years,  gives  a  number 
of  amusinir  finecdotes  on  the  subject  of  this 
chapter.  Nothing  can  better  illustrate  the 
manner  in  which  these  things  are  generally 
managed  among  the  Indians  of  the  present  day. 

For  a  long  time  after  being  established  in  his 
occupation  as  a  hunter,  Tanner  thought  but 
litde  of  marrying;  for  he  never  gave  up  the 
expectation  of  one  day  returning  to  civilized 
society,  and  endeavoring  to  find  the  friends  of 
his  childhood.  For  this  reason  several  propo- 
sals were  made  to  him  which  he  did  not  accept. 
One  day,  at  a  time  when  he  was  living  with 
his  tribe  in  the  neighborhood  of  Lake  Winipeg, 
Net-no-kwa,  the  Indian  woman  who  had  adopt- 
ed him  as  her  son,  took  him  aside,  and  began 
':>  talk  hi  this  strain: — '  My  Son!  you  see  I  have 
grown  old.  I  am  scarce  able  to  make  your 
mocassins,  and  to  dress  and  preserve  your 
skins.  You  are  now  a  man,  and  a  hunter.  It 
is  right  you  should  have  some  one  who  is  young 
and  strong,    to  look  after  your  property,  and 


108 


COURTSHIP. 


take  charge  of  your  wigwam.  Wa-ge-tote, 
who  is  a  good  man,  will  give  you  his  daughter; 
and  in  this  way,  too,  you  will  gain  the  advan- 
tage of  his  friendship  a-.il  ^irotection. ' 

From  all  this,  and  much  more  of  the  same 
description  which  die  good  woman  advanced, 
It   plainly   appeared   that  she   had  talked    die 
matter  over   with    Wa-ge-tote,   and    perhaps 
given  him  to  understand  that  Tanner  was  well- 
(hsposed  to  the  match.     Indeed,  she  told  the 
latter,  that  it  would  not  be  possible,  now,  to 
break  it  ofF,--the  agreement  was  made.     He 
however  refused  his  consent,  and  aldiough  the 
advice  of  his  mother  was  often  afterwards  urged 
upon  him,  and  Wa-ge-tote  himself  took  pains 
to  make  himself  particularly  agreeable  (in  order 
to  recommend  his  daughter  to  Tanner),  he  still 
remained  unwilling  to  accede  to  their  wishes. 
At  length,  the  young  woman  .found  a  husband 
m   some   other  hunter,   and    Tanner   was  no 
longer  molested. 

About  a  year  after  this,  when  he  was  now 
twenty-one  years  old,  an  old  Indian,  called  O. 
zhusk-koo-koon  (or,  the  musk-raVs-liver,)  came 
to  Tanner's  wigwam,  bringing  with  him  a  young 
woman,  his  granddaughter.  She  was  a  hand- 
, ^.r,j  ,^.^^  iiiuic  man  niieen  years  oi  age* 


COURTSHIP. 


109 


Tanner  himself  liked  her  appearance,  but  Net- 
no-kwa  was  dissatisfied  this  time.     *  My  Son" 
—she  whispered  to  him—*  This  man  will  never 
cease  to  trouble  you,  if  you  remain  here;  and 
as  the  girl  is  by  no  means  fit  to  become  your 
wife,  I  advise  you  to  take  up  your  gun,    and 
move  off.     Make  a  hunting-camp  at  some  dis- 
tance, and  do  not  return  till  they  have  time  to 
see  that  you  do  not  fancy  the  match.'     Tanner 
followed  his  mother's  advise;  and  0-zhusk-koo- 
koon  at  length  relinquished  the  hope  of  marry- 
ing him  to  his  granddaughter. 

But  his  adventures  in  search  of  a  wife,— or 
rather  of  a  wife  in  search  of  him,— did  not  end 
here.     Soon  after  he  returned  from  his  hunting- 
cruise,  he  one  day  saw  a  good-looking  young 
woman  walking  about,  and  smoking  a  pipe,— 
a  practice  common  with  both  sexes.     She  no- 
ticed him  from  time  to  time,  and  at  last  slowly 
walked  up  and  asked  him  to  smoke  with  her. 
He  answered,  that  he  never  smoked.     <  Ah ! '— 
she  replied  quickly ,—' you  do  not  wish  to  touch 
m/  pipe.     That  is   the   reason  you  will  not 
smoke  with  me.'     This  was  too  much  for  Tan- 
ner's gallantry.     He  really  was   not  fond   of 
smoking,  but  he  took  the  pipe  and  whiffed  away 
with  great  vigor  for  some  minutes.     She  remain- 

10 


mm 


no 


COURTSHIP. 


ed  a  considerable  time  with  him,  conversing 
with  him,  and  Tanner  began  to  be  pleased  with 
her.  After  this  they  saw  each  other  frequently, 
and  by  dint  of  this  better  acquaintance  the  at- 
tachment became  a  strong  one. 

Tanner  observes,  that  this  was  not  the  mode 
!n  which  an  acquaintance  of  the  kind  usually 
commenced  among  the  Indians  with  whom  he 
lived.  It  happens  more  frequently  that  a  man 
marries  without  any  courtship  at  aU,— the  match 
being  agreed  upon  by  the  old  people,  while  no 
objection  is  made  on  the  part  of  the  young. 

The  name  of  Tanner's  female  friend  was  Mis- 
kwa-bun-o-kwa,  (the  <  Red  Sky  of  the  Morn- 
ing,'')    Their  habit  of  associating  together  was 
soon  noised  about  the  httle  village,  and  Tanner 
became   the  frequent  subject  of  conversation 
among  all  the  old  men  and  women  who  were 
looking  out  after  matches  for  their  daughters. 
Even  O-zhusk-koo-koon  concluded  to  renew 
his  negotiation,— -not  indeed  for  the  same  young 
woman  whose  hand  he  had  offered  before,  but 
for  another  of  his  granddaughters.     He  entered 
the  lodge  of  Tanner  one  day,   leading  her  by 
the  hand.     '  This,'  said  he  to  Net-no-kwa,  «is 
the  handsomest  and  best  of  all  my  descendants; 
I  come  to  offer  her  to  your  son.'     So  saying, 


COURTSHIP. 


in 


he  left  her  in  the  lodge,  and  went  away,  without 
waiting  for  an  answer. 

'    The  young  woman  was  one  whom  Net-no- 
kwa  had   always   treated   with   kindness;  and 
every  body  in  fact  considered  her  the  most  de- 
sirable, for  a  wife,  in  the  whole  band.     This 
embarrassed  the  old  lady.     She  hardly  knew 
what  to  do  or  say;   but  she  finally  found  an  op- 
portunity to  hint  to  Tanner  aside,— « My  Son! 
This  girl  whom  0-zhusk-koo-koon  offers  you, 
IS  handsome.    She  is  also  good.     But  you  must 
not  marry  her,  for  she  has  a  disease  which  will 
surely  destroy  her  within  a  year.     You  must 
marry  a  strong  healthy  woman.     Let  us  then 
make  the  girl  a  handsome  present,— for  she  de- 
serves well  at  our  hands,— and  send  her  back  to 
her  friends. '     This  advice  was  accepted.    They 
gave  the  young  woman  various  articles  of  con- 
siderable value,  and  she  quietly  took  the  hint 
and  went  home.     Less  than  a  year  afterwards, 
according  to  Net-no-kwa's  prediction,  she  died. 
In  the  mean  time,  Mis-kwa-bun-o-kwa  and 
Tanner  were  becoming  more  and  more  intimate. 
Net-no-kwa  observed  their  conduct,  but  made 
no  remarks  upon  it.     One  night  Tanner  came 
home  late,  from  a  visit  to  the  young  woman, 
vi-^.  ^«x^  liiiv^  ins  iuugu,  ana  inrew  iiimseit 


1X2 


COURTSHIP. 


'^ 


down  to  sleep.     A  smart  rapping  on  his  naked 
feet  waked  him  in  the  morning,  at  the  first  break 
of  day.     He  roused  himself,  and  saw  Net-no- 
kwa  standing  before  him,  with  a  stick   in  her 
hand.     <Up!  Upl'—She  said  to  him,— 'you 
who  are  about  taking  to  yourself  a  wife,  up,  and 
start  after  game.     It  will  raise  you  more  in  the 
opinion  of  the  woman  you  would  marry,  to  see 
you  bring  home  a  load  of  meat  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, than  to  see  you  dressed  ever  so  gaily,  stand- 
ing abqut  the  village  after  the  hunters  are  all 
gone  out.' 

Tanner  could  make  no  reply  to  this.  He 
put  on  his  mocassins,  and  took  his  gun  and  went 
off.  Returning,  before  noon,  with  as  heavy  a 
load  of  fat  moose-meat  as  he  could  well  carry, 
he  threw  it  down  before  Net-no-kwa,  saying, 
in  rather  a  harsh  tone,—'  Here,  old  woman,  is 
what  you  called  for  in  the  morning.'  She  was 
much  pleased,  and  praised  him  for  his  exertions; 
and  from  this  time  he  had  no  doubt  of  her  being 
favorable  to  his  match. 

He  now  redoubled  his  diligence  in  hunting, 
and  commonly  came  home  with  meat  in  the 
early  part  of  the  day.  He  then  dressed  himself 
as  handsomely  as  he  could,  and  walked  about 
the  village, — occasionally  blowing  the pebegwuris 


COURTSHIP. 


113 


(a  rude  Indian  fife  or  flute.)     For  some  time 
Mis-kwa-bun-o-kwa    now  pretended    an    un- 
wiUmgness  to   marry  him.     But  her   coyness 
lailed  of  Its  mtended  effect,  and  Tanner  himself 
grew  cool.     He  even  made  several  attempts  to 
break  off  the   acquaintance  altogether;   but  a 
hngenng  attachment  proved  too  strong  for  him 
Besides,  when  the  '  Red  Sky  of  the  Morning* 
grew  more  affectionate  as  Tanner  grew  more 
shy,  she  sometimes   reproached  him  for  his 
'  coldness,  and  endeavored  to  move  him  by  her 
entreaties  and  tears.     But  nothing  was  said  of 
marrying. 

At  length.  Tanner  had  occasion  to  go  a  long 
journey.     When  he  retm-ned,  as  he  approached 
his  wigwam,  he  saw  the  fair  Red  Sky  sitting  in 
his  own  place.     As  he  stopped  at  the  door-way, 
and  hesitated  to  enter,  she  hung  down  her  head. 
Net-no-kwa  greeted  him  in  a  tone  somewhat 
harsher  than  was  usual  with  her.     <  Ha !'— she 
now  cried,—'  Will  you  turn  back  from   your 
door,  and  put  this  young   woman  to  shame. 
The  affair  has  been  of  your  seeking,  and  not 
mme  or  hers.  You  have  been  following  her  about 
the  village:  now  you  would  turn  aside  from  her, 
and  make  her  appear  hke  one  who  has  attempt- 
-*^-!  w  <,AuUav  liciQcxi  III  your  way.' 

10* 


114 


MAARIAOE. 


Tanner  felt  the  justice  of  the  reproach,  nor 
had  he  yet  overcome  his  own  secret  affections 
for  the  '  Red  Sky.'  He  went  in  and  sat  by  her; 
'  and  thus  they  became  man  and  tot/e.'*  It  ap- 
peared, on  consultation,  that  Net-no-kwa,  during 
his  absence,  had  made  a  bargain  with  the  young 
woman's  parents,  and  brought  her  home,  rightly 
supposing  that  it  would  be  no  very  difficult 
thing  to  reconcile  him  to  the  measure. 

But  it  is  not  always  the  case  that  the  Indian 
lover  is  io  cold-hearted  as  Tanner  shewed  him- 
self in  this  case;  or  that  the  belle  of  the  tribe  is 
thus  under  the  necessity  of  paying  her  addresses 
to  him,  in  order  to  make  herself  agreeable. 
Instances  do  occur,  though  not  very  frequently 
perhaps,  of  that  ardent  attachment  which  indu- 
ces the  young  hunter  not  only  to  tender  propo- 
sals in  his  own  behalf,  but  to  make  considerable 
sacrifices  and  exertions  to  recommend  himself 
to  the  admiration  or  gratitude  of  his  fair  one. 

We  find  a  beautiful  illustration  of  these  re- 
marks in  a  romantic  Indian  tradition  which  has 
been  preserved  by  a  northern  traveller,  who 
gathered  the  particulars,  personally,  from  the 
mouths  of  a  party  of  Chippewas  at  Sault  de  St. 

•  Tanner's  Narrative  of  his  Captivity  and  Adventures:  New 
York,  iS30. 


MARRIAGE. 


115 


Marie  near  Lake  Superior.  The  language  is 
his  own,  but  the  incidents  and  descriptions  are 
strongly  characteristic  of  the  character  and  fan- 
cy of  the  red  men. 

More  than  two  hundred  winters  have  passed 
away,— says  the  legend  we  refer  to,*— since  the 
fame  of  TVawanosh  was  sounded  along  the  shores 
of  Lake  Superior.    He  was  a  chief  of  an  ancient 
line,  who  had  preserved  the  chieftainship  in  their 
family  from  the  remotest  times,  and  he  cherished 
a  lofty  pride  of  ancestry.     To  the  reputation 
of  his  birlh,  he  added  the  advantages  of  a  tall 
and  commanding  person,  and  the  dazzling  quali- 
ties of  great  personal  strength,  courage,  and  ac- 
tivity.    His  heavy  bow  was  renowned  for  its 
dimensions  throughout  the  surrounding  tribes; 
and  he  was  known  to  have  shot  one  of  his  flint- 
headed  arrows  through  the  body  of  a  deer.     His 
council  was  as  much  sought  as  his  prowess  was 
feared;  so  that  he  came,  in  time,  to  be  equally 
famed  as  a  hunter,  a  warrior,  and  a  sage.     But 
he  had  now  passed  the  meridian  of  his  days,  and 
the  term  Akkeewaizee,  'one  who  has  been  long 
above  the  earth,'  was  familiarly  applied  to  him. 
Such  was  Wawanosh,  to  whom  the  united  voice 


*iSee  Schoolcraft's  Travels. 


116 


MARRIAOIS. 


of  the  nation  awarded  the  first  place  in  their 
esteem,  and  the  highest  seat  in  authority.  But 
pride  was  his  ruling  passion. 

Wawanosh  had  an  only  daughter,  who  had 
now  lived  to  witness  the  budding  of  the  leaves 
for  the  eighteenth  spring.  Her  fadier  was  not 
more  celebrated  for  his  deeds  of  strength,  than 
she  for  her  gentle  virtues,  her  slender  form,  her 
beaming  eyes,  and  her  dark  and  flowing  hair. 

Tu    ki    u        ij       /And  through  her  cheek 
The  ^lush  would  make  its  way,  and  all  but  speak; 
The  sun-born  blood  suffused  her  neck,  and  threw 
O  er  her  clear  nut-brown  skin  a  lucid  hue. 
Like  coral  reddening  through  the  darkened  wave. 
Which  draws  the  diver  to  the  crimson  cave.* 

Her  hand  was  sought  by  a  youth  of  humble 
parentage,  who  had  no  other  merits  to  recom- 
mend him,  but  such  as  might  arise  from  a  tall 
and  graceful  person,  a  manly  step,  and  an  eye 
beaming  with  the  tropical  fires  of  youth  and  love. 
These  were  sufficient  to  attract  the  favorable 
notice  of  the  daughter;  but  were  by  no  means 
satisfactory  to  the  father,  who  sought  an  aUiance 
more  suitable  to  his  rank  and  the  high  preten- 
sions of  his  family. 

'  Listen  to  me,  young  man,'  he  replied  to  the 
trembling  hunter,  who  had  sought  the  interview, 
'  and  be  attentive  to  what  you  hear.     You  ask 

me  to  hfiStow  iinnn  \rr\i-,  »v»t^  ^^..-V*  — 
^,,    >.„„„    TVM  my    uouu^ULtJi 


J  uou^iiiur,  lue 


chief 


MARRIAGE. 


117 


solace  of  my  age,  and  my  choicest  gift  from  the 
Master  of  Life.  Others  have  asked  of  me  this 
boon,  who  were  as  young,  as  active,  and  as  ar- 
dent as  yourself.  Some  of  these  persons  have 
had  better  claims  to  become  my  son-in-law. 
Young  man,  have  you  considered  well  who  it  is 
that  you  would  choose  for  a  father-in-law?  Have 
you  reflected  upon  the  deeds  which  have  raised 
me  in  authority,  and  made  my  name  known  to 
the  enemies  of  my  nation.  Where  is  there  a 
chief  who  is  not  proud  to  be  considered  the 
friend  of  Wawanosh?  Where  is  there  a  hunter 
who  can  bend  the  bow  of  Wawanosh?  Where 
is  there  a  warrior  who  does  not  wish  he  may 
some  day  be  equal  in  bravery  to  Wawanosh? 
Have  you  not  also  heard  that  my  fathers  came 
from  the  far  east,  decked  with  plumes  and  cloth- 
ed with  autL 

And  what,  yc,  >an,  have  you  to  boast,  that 
you  should  clain.  .  .  aUiance  with  my  wariike 
line?  Have  you  ever  met  your  enemies  on  the 
field  of  battle?  Have  you  ever  brought  home  a 
trophy  of  victory?  Have  you  ever  proved 
your  fortitude  by  suffering  protracted  pain,  en- 
during continued  hunger,  or  sustaining  great 
fatigue  ?  Is  your  name  known  beyond  the  hum- 
ble limits  of  your  native  village?     Go  then, 


118 


MARRIAGE. 


young  man,  and  earn  a  name  for  yourself.  It 
■s  none  but  the  brave  that  can  ever  hope  to  claim 
an  alliance  ivith  the  house  of  Wawanosh.  Think 
not  my  ancient  blood  shall  mingle  with  the  hum- 
ble mark  of  the  Awausees,*  fit  totem  for  fish- 
ermen. ' 

The  intimidated  lover  departed;  but  he  re- 
solved to  do  a  deed  that  should  render  him  wor- 
thy of  the  daughter  of  Wawanosh,  or  die  in  the 
attempt.     He   called  together  several  of  his 
young  companions  and  equals  in  years,  and  im- 

pa«ed  to  them  his  design  of  conducting  ex. 
pedition  agamst  the  enemy,  and  requested  their 
™nce.     Several  embraced  the  proposal  im- 

e"  e  2\°^"  ""^  ^°°"  ''™"S'«  '»  -q- 
esce,  and  before  ten  suns  had  set  he  saw  him- 
self at  the  head  of  a  formidable  party  of  yol 
^arr.ors,  al    eager,  like  himself,  to  distinguish 
themselves  m  battle.     Each  warrior  was  ar^ed, 
according  to  the  custom  of  the  period,  with  a 
bow  and  a  quiver  of  arrows,  tipped  with  flint  or 
jasper.     He  carried  a  <  mushkeemoot'  upon  his 
back,  provided  with  p.  small  quantity  of  parched 
and  pounded  co„.,  mixed  with  a  little  pemmi- 
can,  or  pounded  meat.     He  was  furnished  with 
a  P"ggamaugun,'orwarclub^of|^..,..^^  fo^. 

♦  A  kind  of  fish. 


MARRIAGE.  2jg 

Sfe  '"l"  ^'t°-  '''''■''''■"'  '"^  "  '"■"d  °f  'tone 
kmfe      In  add.Uon  to  this  some  carried  tl:e  an- 

c  ent  sheemaugun,'  or  Indian  lance,  consisting 
of  a  smooth  pole  about  one  fathom  in  length, 
mth  a  spear  of  flint  firmly  tied  o,,  ,vith  sp£ 
of  hard  wood,  bound  down  with  deer's  si'e  ws 
Thus  equipped,  and  each  warrior  paint.d  in  a 
manner  to  suu  his  fancy,  and  ornamented  with 
appropnate  fearers,  they  repaired  to  the  spot 
appomted  for  the  war-dance. 

A  level  grassy  plain  extended  for  nearly  a 
™le  from  the  lodge  of  Wawanosh  towa^Zhe 
pomt  of  land  called  Shogwoimakoong.     Lodge! 
of  bark  were  promiscuously  interspersed  ofer 
this  green,  wuh  here  and  there  a  cluster  of  trees 
or  a  sohtary  pine  which  had  escaped  the  fury' 
of  tempests  for  uncounted  years.    Abeltofyel- 
ow  sand  sktrted  the  lake  shore  in  front,  and  a 
taU  forest  of  oaks,  pines  and  poplars,  formed 
the  back  ground.     I„  the  centre  of  this  green 
stood  a  large  shattered  pine,  with  a  clear  space 
aro"nd,  renowned  as  the  scene  of  tl.e  war-dance 

M.th  ,he.r  tall  and  graceful  leader,  distinguished 
by  the  feathers  of  the  white  eagle  which  he  wore 
on  h,s  head.     A  bright  fire  of  pine  wood  blazed* 
"'~"  ">«  S'*^--    He  led  his  men  twice  or 


120 


MARRIAGE. 


I 


thrice  in  a  circular  manner  around  this  fire, 
with  a  measured  step  and  solemn  chant.  Then 
suddenly  halting,  the  war-hoop  was  raised,  and 
the  dance  immediately  begun.  An  old  man, 
sitting  at  the  head  of  the  ring,  beat  time  upon 
the  drum,  while  several  of  the  warriors  shook 
their  sheesheegwuns,  and  ever  and  anon  made 
the  woods  re-echo  with  their  yells.  Each 
warrior  chanted  alternately  the  verse  of  a  song, 
all  the  rest  joining  in  chorus : 

Tlie  eagles  scream  on  liigh, 
They  whet  their  forked  beaks; 

Raise-—rai8e  the  battle  cry, 
'T  is  fame  our  leader  seeks. 

Thus  they  continued  the  dance  for  two  days 
and  nights,  with  short  intermissions;  when 
dropping  ofF,  one  by  one,  from  the  fire,  each 
sought  his  several  way  to  the  place  appointed 
for  the  rendezvous  on  the  confines  of  the  enemy's 
country.  Their  Jeader  was  not  among  the  last 
to  depart;  but  he  did  not  quit  the  village  without 
bidding  a  tender  adieu  to  the  daughter  of  Wa- 
wanosh.  He  imparted  to  her  his  firm  determi- 
nation to  perform  an  act  that  should  establish 
his  name  as  a  warrior,  or  die  in  the  attempt. 
He  told  her  of  the  bitter  pangs  he  had  felt  at 
her  father's  taunts, — and  that  his  soul  spurned 
the   imputations  of  effeminacv  and  cowardice 


MARRIAOI, 


Ml 


m.pl,ed  by  h,s  language.  He  declared  that  he 
never  could  be  happy,  either  with  or  without 
her,  until  he  had  proved  to  the  whole  tribe  the 
strength  of  his  heart,  which  is  the  Indian  telra 
for  courage.  He  said  his  dreams  had  not  been 
so  propifous  as  be  could  wish;  but  that  he 
should  not  cease  to  invoke  the  favor  of  the 
Great  Spirit  in  his  behalf.  He  repeated  h 
protesiafons  of  inviolable   attachment,  which 

i':27LZt ''''''''-''' ^^^'^^"^-^^ 
All  she  ever  heard  of  her  lover  after  this  in- 
terview, was  that  he  bad  received  an  arrow  in 
his  breast,  after  having  distinguished  himself  by 
the  most  heroic   bravery.     The  enemy  fled, 
leaving  many  of  their  warriors   dead  on  the 
field.     On  examining  his  wound,  it  was  per- 
ceived to  be  beyond  their  power  to  cure.     He 
languished  a  short  time,  and  expired  in  the  arms 
of  his  friends.     Prom  that  hour  no  smile  was 
ever  seen  in  the  once  happy  lodge  of  Wawa- 
oosh.     His  daughter  pined  away  by  day  and 
by  mght.     Tears  and  sighs,  sorrow  and  lam- 
entation were  heard  continually.     No  efforts  to 
amuse  were  capable  of  restoring  her  lost  se- 
renity of  mind.     Persuasives  and  reproofs  were 

""    ~"i'"v^«>  "■«   t-iiipioyea  m  vain. 
U 


122 


MARRIAGE. 


I  I 


It  became  her  favorite  custom  to  fly  to  a  se- 
questered spot  in  the  woods,  where  she  would 
sit  under  a  shady  tree,  and  sing  her  mournful 
laments  for  whole  hours  together.  The  follow- 
ing fragment  of  one  of  her  songs  is  yet  repeated. 

<  Oh  how  can  I  sing  the  praise  of  my  love! 
His  spirit  still  lingers  around  me.  The  grass 
that  is  growing  over  his  bed  of  earth  is  yet  too 
low;  its  sighs  cannot  be  heard  upon  the  wind. 

Oh  he  was  beautiful! 
'•  Oh  he  was  brave! 

I  must  not  break  the  silence  of  this  still  re- 
treat; nor  waste  the  time  in  song,  when  his 
spirit  still  whispers  to  mine.  I  hear  it  in  the 
sounds  of  the  newly  budded  leaves.  It  tells 
me  that  he  yet  lingers  near  me,  and  that  he 
loves  me  the  same  in  death,  though  the  yellow 
sand  lies  over  him. 

Whisper,  spirit. 
Whisper  to  me. 

I  shall  sing  when  the  grass  will  answer  to  my 
plaint;  when  its  sighs  will  respond  to  my  moan. 
Then  my  voice  shall  be  heard  in  his  praise. 

Linger,  lover!  linger,  s 

Stay,  spirit!  stay! 

The  spirit  of  my  love  will  soon  leave  me. 
He  goes  to  the  land  of  joyfbl  repose,  to  pre- 


MARRIAGE. 


123 


pare  my  bridal  bower.      Sorrowing  must   I 
wait,  until  he  comes  to  conduct  me  there. 

Hasten,  lover;  hasten! 
Come,  spirit,  come!*  • 

Thus  she  daily  repeated  her  pensive  song. 
It  was  not  long  before  a  small  bird  of  beautiful 
plumage   flew  upon   the  tree   beneath   which 
she  usually  sat,  and  with  its  sweet  and  artless 
notes,  seemed   to  respond  to  her  voice.     It 
was  a  bird  of  a  strange  character,  such  as  she 
had  never  before  seen.     It  came  every  day  and 
sang  to  her,  remaining  until  it  became  dark. 
Her  fond  imagination  soon  led  her  to  suppose 
It  was  the   spirit  of  her  lover,  and  her  visits 
wer«  repeated  widi  greater  frequency.     She 
did  nothing  but  sing  and  fast.     Thus  she  pined 
away,  until  that  death   she  had  so  frequently 
desired  came  to  her  relief.     After  her  decease, 
the  bird  was  never  more  seen;  and  it  became 
a  popular  opinion  that  this  mysterious  bird  had 
flown  away  with  her  spirit  to  the  land  of  bliss. 
But  the  bitter  tears  of  remorse  fell  in  the  tent 
of  Wawanosh;  and  he  hved  many  years  to  re- 
gret his  false  pride,  and  his  harsh  treatment  of 
the  noble  youth. 

Jow7„~HTr  a'  -u  «.crary  ia«ie  oi  x>Ii«s  Jane  Johnston,  of 
Jolu«ton  HaU,  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  [an  Indian.]  Schoolcraft, ' 


124 


DOMESTIC    LIFE 


(   j 


I 


'    i' 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Domestic  Life,  continued-Divorce  or  separation-Polyga- 
my— Anecdote  of  a  Delaware— Division  of  duties  betw^n 
husband  and  wife-Domestic  festivals-Maple^ugar  making 
—Education  of  children-Anecdotes  of  Tanner  and  the  In- 
diana with  whom  he  lived— Names  of  children. 


Notwithstanding  the  variety  of  customs  which 
attends  the  courtship  and  matrimony  of  the 
Indian  tribes,  there  are  sftrpml 


/^  1  t»/^  1 1  *V»  C  ■f  rt  ITi  .rt  J^  J"* 


DIVORCE. 


125 


well  as  to  the  education  of  their  children    in 
which  ,hey  very  generally  agree.  ' 

Divorce  is  of  universal  use.     In  some  cases 

»deed    the  parties  are  not  understood    o  be 
marrted  at  all,  in  the  Indian  sense  of  the  word 

"nt.1  Aey  had  hved  together  several  weero; 
months  by  way  of  experiment! -soTaxJe 
fernofons  of  that  principle  esteemed  by  aJ 
c.vihzed  nations   the   strongest  tie  which  can 
bmd  together  the  hands  and'hearts  of  S  hu- 
man race.     But,  in  all  cases,  the  husband  is  at 

her  husband.-though  i,  rarely  happens  Z 
she  dares  to  take  this  step  without  Ws  a  sen 
or  ts  so  situated  as  to  do  so  to  advantage.     S 
mar„age-ceremony,_if  it  can  be  called  such 
-■s  always  performed  without  any  vows  o; 
P«.m,ses  on  either  side.     It  is  the  unders^d 
ng,  simply,  that  the  parti  s  live  together  as 

feci"       '  '="  '°  ^°  *°  ^^"  ™"'"'J  -«i" 

It  should  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  a 
satiation  often  takes  place,  nor,  especMy,  an 
unfeehng  desertion  of  the  wife  by  the  husband. 
—  --  vv-uuaxj.,  sne,  laiowiDgmatitisher  in- 

11* 


r    II 


ne 


POLYGAMY. 


I 


:li 


terest  to  satisfy  him,  exerts  herself  proportion- 
ately, and  almost  always  with  success,  to  be  at 
least  useful,  if  not  agreeable.  The  husband  is 
also  under  some  restraints.  It  is  considered 
highly  dishonorable  to  forsake  a  wife  upon  tri- 
fling cause;  and  particularly,  if  she  has  already 
made  him  the  father  of  a  family.  Not  a  little 
inconvenience,  and  perhaps  injury,  will  be  en- 
dured by  either  party,  before  resorting  to  the 
rite  of  divorce.  When  that  event  does  take 
place,  the  children  are  commonly  permitted  to 
choose  which  of  the  parents  they  will  continue 
to  live  with. 

There  are  very  few  exceptions  to  the  preva- 
lence of  this  custom  of  free  separation.  Char- 
levoix mentions  one  in  his  account  of  the  an- 
cient Miamies, — among  whom,  he  says,  if  a 
wife  ran  away  from  her  husband,  he  had  a  right 
to  cut  off  her  nose,  in  satisfaction  of  his 
wounded  honor!  The  majority  of  tribes  allow 
him  to  punish  her  very  severely  for  those  irreg- 
ularities which  it  is  in  her  power  to  commit 
without  deserting  his  wigwam. 

The  liberty  of  marrying  any  number  of 
wives,  according  to  fancy,  and  ability  to  main- 
tain them,  is  universal,  and  always  has  been. 
This  circumstance  also  tends  to  make    tho 


POLYGAMY. 


127 


woman  dependent  on  the  husband,  and  desirous 
to  please  him;  for  she  is  weU  aware  that  he  can 
always  provide  himself  with  a  substitute  for  her 
own  services.     He  will  not,  perhaps,  even  take 
the  trouble  to  give  her  notice  of  his  discontent; 
but,  without  saying  a  word,  will  take  his  gun, 
and  move  off  to  some  other  part  of  the  coun- 
try.     This  IS  often  his  practice,  for  a  week  or 
two,  when  she  has  said  or  done  something  to 
offend  him,  which  he  will  not  deign  to  mention, 
iiut  m  these  cases,  he  very  seldom  fails  to  re- 
turn  sooner  or  later,-especially  if  he  has  chil- 
dren at  home.     The  wife,  on  the  other  hand, 
as  rarely  fails  to  be,  subsequently,  more  care- 
ful  than  ever  to   satisfy   him.     Among  some 
tribes  there  is  a  distinction  of  rank  observed 
among  the  wives,  according  to  the  time  of  their 
marriage,  and  other  circumstances;  but  it  is  more 
common  for  them  to  treat  each  other  as  equals 
and  to  live  in  tolerable  harmony  and  comfort 
together  in  the  same  lodge. 

In  reference  to  some  of  the  customs  just 
mentioned,  an  aged  Indian  once  said  to  Mr. 
Heckewelder,  that  his  countrymen  not  only  had 
a  much  easier  way  of  getting  a  wife  than  the 
white  people,  but  were  much  more  sure  of  a 
good  one.     '  For.'  «flirl  h^  ;«  u:^  i,— i t^ 


1S8 


DOMESTIC    LAfiOftS. 


i  r1 


lish, — '  White  man  court, — court,—  may  be  one 
whole  year, — may  be  two  year  before  he  marry! 
well! — may  be  he  then  got  very  good  wife — ^but 
— may  be  not! — may  be  very  cross! — Well  now, 
suppose  cross!  scold  so  soon  as  ge    ^     ;  3  in 
the  morning!  scold  all  day!  scold  un.     sleep! 
— all  one;  he  must  keep  him!*     White  peo- 
ple have  law  forbidding  throwing  away  wife, 
be  he  ever  so  cross!  must  keep  him  always! 
Well!  how  does  Indian  do? — Indian,  when  he 
see  industrious  Squaw,  which  he  like,  he  go  to 
him,  place  his  two  fore-fingers  close  aside  each 
other,  make  two  look  like  one — look  Squaw  in 
the  face — see  him  smile — which  all  one  he  say, 
Yes!  so  he  take  him  home — no  danger  he  be 
cross!  no!  no!  Squaw  know  too  well  what  In- 
dian do  if  he  cross! — throw  him  away  and  take 
another!  Squaw  love  to  eat  meat!  no  husband! 
no  meat!  Squaw  do  every  thing  to  please  h  ^s- 
band!  he  do  the  same  to  please  Squaw!  live 
happy!' 

The  division  of  the  labor  of  domestic  life  is 
another  point  of  very  general  agreement  among 
the  tribes.  In  the  outset,  the  husband  com- 
monly provides   a  house  to  live  in;  a  canoe, 

*  The  pronouns  in  the  Indian  language  have  no  feminine 
gender. 


DOMESTIC   tABORS.  129 

axes,  hoes  and  other  rude  implements  of  agri- 
culture; and  an  assortment,  greater  or  less  of 
d.hes,  bowls,  and  other  vessels  neces  aj'fo 
house-keepmg.  The  woman  perhaps  7as  a 
kettle  or  two,  and  some  other  shnilar  articles 
of  wigwam  furniture. 

ban^dTJ*"'  '7'V^t  S'""'  ''"'5^  °f  *e  hus- 
ba^d  s  to  supply  the  family  with  sufficient  food 

and  clothmg-whether  by  trappmg,  fishin/or 
huntrng  a^large  which  i/m„cWmt?;J 

Zr        7«     ^'  S"*"^  ''^  "•'""dam  or  scarce, 
ft^T  f  !^'  "''''"  ^=  "'swam  often  depend 

season,_on  the  success  of  his  efforts.      Nei 
ther  river  nor  swamp,  whether  shallow  or  deep 
frozen  or  free  from  ice,  must  be  an  obstacleTo 
h^,  pursmt  of  the  fleet  moose  or  the  feroto 

tiir„rH  "''"^  '""''"'''   ^^  ««kes  more 

than  ordmary  pains  to  please  his  young  wife 
and  convmce  her  of  his  ability  ,o  LpL  W 
;n  good  style.  He  rise,  at  break  of  Tay  aLd 
tmverses  the  forest  with  his  gun  in  hand  te 
he  may  return  wid,  a  wild  tn4y  or  a  deer  for 
-  early  breakfast.  This  he  throws  do^  on 
*!'  r,°.^^  !^'Swam,  and  his  duties  are  dis- 


130 


DOMESTIC    LABORS. 


11 


The  women  of  course  have  charge  of  the 
wigwam  itself,  where,  however,  their  labor  is 
trifling.  There  is  no  scrubbing  of  the  house  to 
be  done.  Not  much  is  to  be  washed,  and  that 
not  often.  Nothing  requires  attention,  in  the 
way  of  cookery,  but  a  single  pot  or  kettle,  or 
perhaps  the  grinding  of  a  small  quantity  of 
com  in  r  mortar,  and  baking  a  cake  in  the  hot 
ashes. 

But  in  addition  to  these  duties,  she  always 
takes  upon  herself  the  drudgery  of  the  field, 
which  consists  chiefly  in  a  little  hoeing,  sowing 
and  reaping,  and  occupies  her  more  or  less 
during  about  six  weeks  of  the  year.  In  the 
more  southern  climates  of  the  continent,  this 
business  is  not  unfrequently  made  an  occasion 
for  a  female  party  and  frolic, — somewhat  after 
the  fashion  of  a  husking  or  quilting,  as  practis- 
ed among  the  whites  in  certain  parts  of  the 
United  States.  The  labor  is  thus  quickly  and 
easily  performed.  When  it  is  over,  a  rude 
feast  is  furnished  by  the  person  or  family  for 
whom  the  work  has  been  done, — ^which  the 
husband  has  taken  care  beforehand  to  provide 
from  the  woods.  After  the  harvest  is  gather- 
ed, of  whatever  description  it  may  be,  the 
women  have  little  to  do,  but  get  fire-wood  and 


MAPLK-S0OAR  MAKIKO.  Jgj 

prepare  the  d%  victuals,  until  perhaps  late  i„ 
the  winter,  or  early  in  the  spring 
•        At  the  latter  season,  in  many  sections  of  fJ,» 

mapWe      tT  f  '"'^'"S  sugar  from  the 

^y  some  of  J       '"'•'"""=^  '^  "«  °"'y  ""'de 
fiy  some  of  them,  very  rich,  and  as  white  as 

Havanna  sugar,  but  is  extensively  used  as  ^ 
pnncpal  article  of  food.  Henry'^^ays  that  he 
often  knew  the  Lake  Indians  'to  grow  fa  '  on 
".aple-sugar  alone.     The  following  is  the  de" 

bvT°"  °\!^'  '""•'^  °f  ^anufaLre    give„ 
by  that  traveller  from  his  own  observatioL^ 

A  certam  part  of  the  maple-woods  having 
been  chosen,  and  which  was  distant  about  2 
mdes  from  the  fort,  a  house,  twenty  feet  1^ 

reception  of  eight  persons,  and  their  baggace 
It  was  open  at  top,  and  had  a  door  at  each  end" 
and  a  foe-place  in  the  middle,  running  thfwhot 

bark  of  white-birch  trees,  with  which  to  make 
vessels  to  catch  the  wine  or  sap.     The  iZ 

1       introduced  into  thp  wn-.^j      rnu.  i    , 

.x„„x*„.     iue  oaj.|j  vesseis 


I ;.' 


m 


ii'-> 


fM-i'1 


•ili 


132 


MAPLE-SUOAR  MAKINO. 


I 


H 


.  i 

if  5 
1*1 


? 


were  placed  under  the  ducts;  and,   as  they 
filled,   the   liquor   was   taken   out   in   buckets 
and  conveyed  into  reservoirs  or  vats  of  moose- 
skin,  each  vat  containing   a  hundred   gallons. 
From  these  they  supplied  the  boilers,  of  which 
they  had  twelve,  of  from  twelve  to  twenty  gal 
Ions  each,  with  fires  constandy  under  them,  day 
and   night.     While  the   women  collected   the 
sap,  boiled  it,  and  completed  the  sugar,  the  men 
were  not  less  busy  in  cutting  wood,  making 
fires,  and  in  hunting  and  fishing  for  a  general 
supply  of  food. 

The  earlier  part  of  the  spring  is  that  best 
adapted  to  making  maple-sugar.  The  sap 
runs  only  in  the  day:  and  it  will  not  run,  unless 
there  has  been  >i  frost  the  night  before.  When, 
in  the  morb^ng,  there  is  a  clear  sun,  and  the 
night  has  leit  ice  of  the  thickness  of  a  dollar, 
the  greatest  quanity  is  produced. 

On  the  twenty-fifth  of  April,  the  labor  end- 
ed, Henry  returned  to  the  fort,  carrying  with 
him,  as  he  found  by  the  scales,  sixteen  hundred 
weight  of  sugar,  ke  had,  besides,  thirty-six 
gallons  of  sirup;  although  during  his  stay  in  the 
woods,  the  party  had  consumed  three  hundred 
weight.* ^ 

*  Travels  and  Adventures. 


FEMALE   DRUDGERY, 


133 


^  Mr.  Mc'Kenney  mentions  three  families  liv- 
ing at  Sault  de  St.  Marie,  who  were  in  the  habit 
of  mailing  together  about  four  tons  of  sugar 
durmg  the  season,  in  that  vicinity.  When  con- 
siderable  pains  are  taken  to  make  it  saleable  and 
ornamental,  as  virell  as  palatable,  it  is  manu- 
factured  into  what  are  called  mococks. 

A  mocock  is  a  little  receptacle  of  a  basket 
form,  and  oval,  though  without  a  handle,  made 
of  birch  bark,  with  a  top  sewed  on  with  wattap, 
\the  fine  roots  of  the  red  cedar,  split.)     The 
smaller  ones  aro  ornamented  with  porcuomes* 
quills,    died  red,  yellow,    and  green.     These 
ornamented  mococks  hold  from  two  to  a  dozen 
table   spoonfuls   of  sugar,  and  are   made  for 
presents,  or  for  s?le,    to   the  curious.     The 
larger  ones,  also  of  birch  bark,  are  not  orna- 
mented, and  contain  from  ten  to  thirty  pounds 
of  sugar.     This  is  an  article  of  exchange  with 
those  who  make  it.     They  give  it  for  labor, 
for  goods,  &c.,  and  generally  at  about  ten  cents 
per  pound.* 

The  women  frequently  have  another  duty  to 
perform  in  the  event  of  travelling  on  a  journey, 
Of  to  hunting^camps  with  their  husbands.  In 
some  sections,  and  at  some  seasons,  horses  are 


1? 


.94 


FEMALE   DRUDQERT. 


used;  and  in  others,  dog- trains;  but  in  the  ab- 
sence of  both,  the  baggage,  done  up  in  packs, 
IS  invariably  carried  by  the  women.     It  per- 
haps consists  of  a  blanket;  a  dressed  deer-skin 
for  making   mocassins;   and  a  few  articles  of 
food  and  furniture,  such  as  a  ketde,  a  bowl, 
spoons  and  a  litde  bread  and  salt.     A  common 
prac^ce  is  to  suspend  this  burden  by  a  strap 
or    band   which   passes   round   the   forehead. 
The  women  never  complain  of  such  drudgery; 
they  know  too  well  that,  after  wounding  a  deer, 
the   hunter  may  be  obliged   to  pursue   it   for 
several  miles,  and  that  he  ought  not  therefore 
to  be  encumbered  with  a  load  upon  his  shoul- 
ders.    The   hunting-camp   once    set   up,    she 
makes  herself  and  her  husband  as  much  at  home 
in  it  as  though  they  had  no  intention  of  quitting 
it  finally  at  the  end  of  a  fortnight,  and  perhaps 
much  sooner.     He  engages  immediately  in  the 
chase.     She  employs  herself  in  drying  the  meat 
he  brings  in,  to  preserve  it, — putting  up  the 
tallow, — collecting  roots  for  dyeing  or  food, — 
and   gathering   wild   hemp,  to  be  woven  into 
carrying-bands,  bags,  and  strings.  * 

Speaking  of  the  Delawares,  and  other  %r 
dians  of  Ohio  and  the  Middle  States,  Mr. 
Heckewelder,  who  lived   many   years  among 


-■^■'- 


J'^MALE    DRUDOBRr.  135 

ihem,    observes, — <  Therp   i*«    ««*k* 

I  J-     1    .  iiiere   is    nothins   in    an 

Ind.an's  house  or  family  without  its  p^artLla^ 
own  n  Every  individual  knows  whaf  belong" 
10  h.m,  from  the  horse  or  cow  down  to  the 
dog,  cat,  kitten  and  little  chicken.  Parents 
make  presents  to  their  children,  and  they  t 

.mes  ask  h>s  w,fe  or  one  of  his  children  for 

.  f,^,"*"?*^. W^horsetogoouta-hunting.     For 

a  litter  of  k.ttens  or  brood  of  chicken!,  there 

^re  often  as  many  different  owners  as  th  re  al 

ierTld  "™f  ■  '"  P"-''-"5  -  hen  with 
her  brood,  one  frequently  has  to  deal  for  it  with 
several  chddren.'  Thus,  while  the  prilcS 
of  communuy  of  goods  prevails  in  th'e  sutj 
the  rights  of  property  are  acknowledged  among 
Ae  members  of  a  family.  This  is' attended 
With  a  very  good  effect;  for  by  this  means 
every  l,v.„g  creature  is  properly  taken  care  7 

M  h'"™""'  '  u'^*'"^  ^"""S  *e  children, 
which  becomes  a  habit  with  them  by  the  time 
they  are  grown  up.  ' 

ki„?^  ="7  f«h°r,-speakins  of  the  frequent 
fandness  of  the  husband  to  his  wife,_says  o( 
the  same  tribes,  that  an  Indian  loves  to  sTe  Ws 
Wife  weU  clothed,  which  is  a  proof  that  hel 

lond   of  her;    at  lea.st.    it   ;.   „ .,      , 

,    .V   ,^   ou   cunsiaereu. 


it 


136 


DOMESTIC   MANNERS. 


While  his  wife  is  bartering  the  skins  and  peltry 
he  has  taken  in  his  hunt,  he  will  seat  himself  at 
some  distance,  to  observe  her  choice,  and  how 
she  and  the  traders  agree  together.  When  she 
finds  an  article  which  she  thinks  will  suit  or 
please  her  husband,  she  never  fails  to  purchase 
it  for  him;  she  tells  him  that  it  is  her  choice, 
and  he  is  never  dissatisfied.* 

He  further  states  that,  v/hen  the  wife  is  sick, 
the  husband  will  frequently  undertake  a  long 
journey  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  her  some 
trifling  article  of  nourishment  which  either  he 
or  she  fancies  may  be  of  some  benefit.  A 
Delaware,  in  one  instance,  went  forty  or  fifty 
miles  for  a  mess  of  cranberries. 

In  the  year  1762,  there  was  a  scarcity  of  food 
at  one  season  among  many  tribes,  which  finally 
resulted  in  a  severe  famine.  During  its  preva- 
lence, a  sick  woman  expressed  a  great  desire 
for  a  mess  of  Indian  com.  Her  husband,  learn- 
ing that  an  English  trader,  at  a  place  called 
Lower  Sandusky,  had  a  small  quantity  in  his 
pc  3session,  set  oflfon  horseback  in  that  direction. 
The  distance  was  a  hundred  miles.  Having 
reached  his  destination,  he  gave  his  horse  in  ex- 
change for  a  hat-full  of  com;  and  this,  with  his 

^  Historical  Account,  p*  i4S« 


DOMESTIC   MANNERS.  jgy 

saddle    he  brought  home  all  the  way  on  foot. 

sm.lar  daint.es;  and  this,  in  case  of  her  serious 
sickness,  he  seldom  hesitates  to  do 

On  the  return  of  an  Indian  from  a  joumev 
or  long  absence,  he  will,  on  entering  .hi  h^ 

anLr   T        "^f  '^  ^^'""^  ^'^  ^'^  ^^ 
arorn',^     T'"-."'*'  ''^^"5  cast  his  eyes 
around  he  w,ll  mquire  whether  all  the  children 
are  we  .   This  being  answered  in  the  affirmative 
he  reid.es,  '  I  am  glad!'  which  for  the  preslnl 

nor    i:  rT'""  *^'P^^-  between  rm 
nor  does  he  relate  any  thing  at  this  present  time 
Ja  oceu„ed  on  his  journey,  but  holds  himself 
«  readmess  to  partake  of  the  nourishment  which 
his  w.fe  ,s  prepar.ng  for  him.     After  a  while 
w  en  the  men  of  the  village  have  assembll  '   i 
lus  house,  h.s  wife,  with  the  rest,  hears  h.-s 
story  at  full  length.*  «,  uears  h.s 

Of  the  domestic  treatment  of  aeed  nennl« 
among  the  Indians,  it  is  sufficient  at^LenMo 
observe,  that  the  tribes  differ  much  ZIZX 

mhermth.spardcular,^s  do  individuals  intSe 


138 


DOMESTIC   MANNERS. 


many  instances,  their  respect  for  the  old  amounts 
to  a  degree  of  veneration  and  tenderness  which 
would  do  no  discredit  to  the  most  enlightened 
people;  in  others,  they  are  too  much  in  the 
habit  of  neglecting  them. 

Their  civility  to  each  other,  in  ordinary  in- 
tercourse, and  especially  in  the  entertainment 
of  strangers,  is  equally  commendable.     This 
frequently  escapes  the  observation  of  travellers, 
from  a  want  of  familiarity  with  their  language, 
as  well  .as   their  manners  and   customs.     '  In 
more  than  a  hundred  instances,' — Mr.  Hecke- 
welder  says, — *  I  have  with  astonishment  and 
delight  witoessed  the  attention  paid  to  a  person 
entering  the  house  of  another,  where,  in  the 
first  instance,  he  is  desired  to  seat  himself,  with 
ihe   words,  *  sit  down  my  friend!'  if  he   is  a 
stranger,  or  no  relation;  but  if  a  relation,  the 
proper  title  is  added.     A  person  is  never  left 
standing;  there  are  seats  for  all;  and  if  a  dozen 
should  follow  each  other  in  succession,  all  are 
provided  with  seats,  and  the  stranger,  if  a  white 
person,    with   the  best.      The   tobacco-pouch 
next  is  handed  round;  it  is  the  first  treac,  as 
with  us  a  glass  of  wine  or  cider.     Without  a 
single  word  passing  between  the  man  and  his 
wife,  she  will  go  about  preparing  some  victuals 


to 


yi 


BCUCATIOW. 


139 


for  the  company,  and  having  s^w^AtU^   •  • 
wiJl  retire  to  a  nei^k^oj^^^t^^^^^^^^^ 
family  of  the  vklt  \^Uh      u-  u  /        ''^^'^'^  ^^® 

honored      Sh  J  n  ^''  ^"^^^"^  ^'^ 

Honored.     She  never  grumbles  on  account  nf 

vytiat  she  had  cooked  for  her  own  family,_con 

^Wdren  which  should  apply  ,o  any  consS 
ble  number  of  tribes  h;/u  "'^^  ^""^'^era- 
true  that  tV,»  '  "'°«'«''er,  generally 

ishlnt  R  P"'"''  "'"  ""'^  °^  "o  bodily  pu,; 
ishment.     Beating  with  a  stick,  especially  is  a 

^Z:S^  *^^^"^^^  ad^ptCiX 
cases  of  violent  passion,  by  no  means  frequent 

course  m  respect  to  a  person  over  whom  thev 
had  no  right  of  control.  ""«  mey 

latet  to"fh'Tf-  "^T  ''''^  '^"S  which  re- 
lates to  the  duties  of  a  warrior  and  a  hunter 

from  the  example  of  his  elders,  and  from  E 

conversauons   with  each  otlier.     Sometimes 

however,  his  parents  or  other  friends  t^e  p"S 

Z\[    "  f"'  """'"P'^  '■»  *«  <=h«=e>  and  to 

teach  him  the  mvstPrJo..  „<•  .i... ..,. .  .'  . 

— ^  — „.^u  „,  ijjm  iaoonous  and 


ns 


i  ijii'.'! 


140 


EDUCATION. 


hazardous  pursuit.  Mr.  Tanner,  in  his  Narra- 
tive, furnishes  an  amusing  account  of  his  own 
experience  in  this  department. 

At  an  age  when  he  began  to  feel  something  of 
the  common  ambition  to  be  a  great  hunter,  he 
accompanied  a  party  of  Ottawas  on  a  winter 
journey  to  the  Strait  between  Lake  Huron  and 
Michigan.  On  the*-  return,  by  water,  contrary 
winds  detained  them  at  a  point  of  land  running 
out  into  one  of  those  Lakes,  called  Me-nau-ko- 
king;  aijd  here  they  encamped.  Pigeons  were 
found  in  great  numbers  in  the  woods  round 
about;  and  the  young  Indians,  as  well  as  sev- 
eral white  traders  who  were  in  company,  busied 
themselves  in  shooting  them.  At  this  time 
Tanner  had  not  only  never  killed  any  game,  but 
never  discharged  a  gun.  His  Indian  mother, 
Net-no-kwa,  however,  having  in  her  possession, 
a  keg  of  powder  which  she  had  purchased  at 
Mackinac, — and  his  father,  Taw-ga-we-ninne, 
an  old  horseman's  pistol, — the  little  fellow  ven- 
tured to  ask  permission  to  try  his  luck  among 
the  other  boys. 

The  request  was  seconded  by  Net-no-kwa, 
who  always  treated  him  with  kindness.  '  It  is 
time  indeed,'  she  said,  <  that  our  son  should  be- 
gin learning  to  be  a  hunter.'     Taw-ga-we-ninne 


EDUCATIOW, 


141 


loaded  the  p.stol  and  put  it  into  Tanner's  hand: 
•-  Go,  my  Son!'-he  observed-^ and  if  you 
k.ll  any  thmg  w.th  this,  you  shall  immediately 
have  a  gun  of  your  own,  and  learn  to  hunt. ' 

Tanner  was  delighted  with  this  unexpected 
W  and  he  set  off  for  the  woods,  with  all  pos- 
sible djhgence,  carrying  his  heavy  horse-pistol  in 
h.s  hand.     He  had  gone  but  a  short  distance 
from  the  camp,  when  he  met  with  pigeons,  and 
some  of  them  alighted  on  the  bushes  very  near 
him.      He  resolutely  cocked  his  pistol,  and 
raised  it  to  his  face,  where  the  breech  came  al- 
most in  contact  with  his  nose.     Having  brought 
the  sight  to  bear  on  the  pigeon  at  which  he  aim- 
ed, he  pulled  the  trigger,  and  was  at  the  next 
instant  sensible  of  a  humming  noise,  like  that  of 
a  stone  sent  swiftly  through  the  air.     He  looked 
around,  and  found  the  pistol  at  the  distance  of 
some  paces  behind  him;  the  pigeon  lay  under 
the  tree  on  which  it  had  been  sitting.     His  face 
was  much  bruised,  and  covered  with  blood: 
but  he  ran  home  in  high  spirits,  carrying  his 
game  m  his  hand.     His  face  was  speedily  bound 
up;  his  pistol  exchanged  for  a  fowling-piece- 
and  being  then  provided  with  a  powder-horn 
and  some  shot,  he  was  allowed  to  go  out  a^rain 


alter  birds. 


One  of  the  young  Indians  went 


(  ite 


«»•»■<»» 


142 


EDUCATION. 


f   *l 


with  him,  to  observe  his  manner  of  shooting. 
He  killed  three  more  pigeons  in  the  course  of 
the  day,  and  did  not  discharge  his  gun  once 
without  killing.  '  From  this  time,'  says  Tan- 
ner, *  I  began  to  be  treated  with  more  consid- 
eration, and  was  allowed  to  hunt  often,  that  I 
might  become  expert.'  Such  is  the  Indian 
system  of  drilling  a  young  hunter. 

During  the  winter  succeed bg  this  earliest  ad- 
venture of  Tanner,  he  was  sent  to  make  traps 
for  martens.  The  first  morning  he  went  out 
early,  and  spent  the  whole  day.  He  returned 
late  at  night,  having  made  only  three  traps,  al- 
though a  good  hunter  would  have  made  twenty- 
five  or  thirty.  The  next  morning  he  visited 
his  three  traps,  and  found  but  one  marten. 
Thus  he  continued  to  do  for  several  days,  but 
his  want  of  success  and  his  awkwardness  ex- 
posed him  to  the  ridicule  of  the  young  men. 
At  length  his  father  began  to  pity  him.  '  Come, 
my  son,'  he  said  to  him  one  day,  '  I  must  go 
and  help  you  to  make  traps.'  They  went  into 
the  woods  together,  and  the  whole  day  was  spent 
in  making  a  large  number  of  traps.  These 
were  given  to  Tanner,  and  the  little  fellow  was 
then  able  to  take  as  many  martens  as  any  boy 
in  the  band.     His  companions,  indeed,  did  not 


EDUCATION. 


143 


forget  to  tell  him,  now  and  then,  of  the  assis- 
tance be  received  from  his  father;  but  tnis  he 
cared  httle  for,  since  he  soon  became  so  expert 
and  successful  in  hunting  and  trapping,  that  he 
was  no  longer  called  upon  by  his  mother  at 
home,  as  he  bad  been,  to  do  the  drudgery  of  a 
woman  about  the  lodge. 

Still,  he  had  something  to  learn.     The  next 
wmter  after  this,  when  he  was  now  about  four- 
teen  years  of  age,  his  father  having  meanwhile 
^eceased,  it  became  his  duty  to  provide  food 
for  his  mother.     He  set  beaver-traps  on  the 
banks  of  one  of  those  creeks  frequented  constant- 
ly by  that  cunning  animal,  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Red-Kiver,  where  the  Assineboin  Indians 
reside.     In  his  three  first  traps  he  found  two 
beavers.     Not  yet  knowing  how  to  take  them 
out  ahve,  he  carried  home  beavers,  traps  and 
aU  upon  his  shoulders,  one  at  a  time.     His  In- 
dian mother  was  higlily  gratified  with  his  suc- 
cess; and  she  now  took  part  with  him,  on  all 
occasions,  agaiast  all  who  were  disposed  to  an- 
noy him. 

When  they  had  remained  about  three  months 
in  this  place,  the  game  seemed  to  be  exhausted, 
and  It  was  proposed  to  move  off  farther  to  the 
XNorth.     The  day  for  mov'wir  umo  p-^^^ . 


144 


EDUCATION. 


but  before  it  arrived  the  necessities  of  the  par- 
ty to  which  Tanner  and  his  mother  were  at- 
tached,  became  extreme,  and  they  suffered  no 
little  distress   from   absolute   hunger.     In  this 
emergency  the  young  hunter  undertook  to  find 
and  kill  a  bear,  which  he  had  never  before  done. 
He  set  off  into  the  woods,  alone,   taking  his 
gun  in  his  hand,  and  observing  all  the  precau- 
tions which  he  had   noticed   in  the  elder  hun- 
ters.    At  length  he  found  a  tract  of  land  which 
had  the  appearance  of  having  been  once  cov- 
ered with  a  pond.     It  was  a  small,  round,  open 
place  in  the  woods,  now  grown  up  with  grass 
and  bushes.      As  he  was  crossing  it  through 
the  snow,  he  suddenly  fell  several  feet  into  a 
cavity,  the  nature  of  which  he  was  not  able  to 
guess.     He  crawled  out  hastily;  and  it  occur- 
ed  to  him,  at  this  moment,  that  it  might  be  one 
of  those  winter-retreats  for  the  bear  of  which 
he  had  heard  much  said   among  the  hunters. 
He  looked  back  into  the  hole  which  his  legs 
had  made,  and  saw  the  head  of  a  bear  lying 
close  at  the  bottom  of  it.     He  placed  the  muz- 
zle of  his  gun  nearly  between  the  eyes  of  the 
animal,   and   discharged  it.     As  soon   as  the 
smoke  cleared  away,  he  eagerly  ascertained,  by 
feelinar  with  a  stick,  that  the  hear  was  dead. 


Education.  j^ 

ho"L"r.  '"'""r^'  '°  '•'^e  him  from  his 
nole  by  the  ears;  but  not  finding  his  strenirth 

mck  he  had  just  traveUed.     As  he  approthed 
he  camp,  an  old  squa^  began  to  ridKh^ 
'Have  you  kUled  a  bear,-  she  asked,  it  y^u 
come  back  so  soon,  and  walk  so  fas  ?'      C 

ZlTf:i't'^f'~'»'^-^oes  shew 
that  I  have  killed  a  bear?  '-but  he  said  nothing! 
and   passed  on   till   he   entered  his   mo,h5 

after  a  fruitless  chase.     Presently,  seeing  her 

m1      t'!^'''^  "Pto  her  and  whispered,!- 
Mother,  I  have  killed  a  bear!  '_<  What  do  vou 

SdTr".f  ^^"-^-Serly.  <fC 
Med  a  bear,'  he  repeated.  'Are  you  sure 
you  have  killed  him?'-Ye.!'-<Q„i.^dj;! 

iTokXlnT  ^/-'T"'''  *«  "■'^  ~ 
ooked  hun  m  the  face  for  a  moment  very  keen- 

ly,  and  hen  caught  him  in  her  arms,  hugging 

and  kissing  him  with  great  ea^esmes    anT2 

a  long  tmie.     The  bear  was  sent  for,  and  as 

being  the  first  which  Tanner  had  killed    J, 

cooked  all  together;  and  a  feast,  accoigT 

Jiora  It  for  the  hunters  of  Ae  whole  band. 

*   "  also  in  the  vicinity 


I4t 


146 


EDUCATION. 


of  Assineboin  river.     He  was  bringing  in,  from 
the  woods   to   the  camp,  a  quantity  of  dea'l 
game,  but  with  his  gun  at  the  same  time  in  his 
hand,     Seeing  the   elk   thick   about   him,  he 
stopped  to  load  it,  concealed  himself  in  a  thick- 
et of  bushes,  and  began  imitating,  in  the  Indian 
way,  the  cry  of  the  female  elk.      Presently  a 
large  buck  came  prancing  up  so  directly  to  the 
spot  where  he  was,  and  with  such  violence,  that 
Tanner  was  alarmed  for  his  own  safety,  and 
fled,  leaving  his  !oad  behind  him.     The  animal, 
seeing  him,  was  frightened  as  much,  and  turn- 
ing  about,  bounded  off  in  another  direction. 
Reflecting  that  his  companions  would  ridicule 
him  for  his  cowardice,  the  young  hunter  now 
resolved  on  another  attempt.     He  hid  himself 
again,  in  a  more  secure  situation.     Here  he 
repeated  tlie  elk-cry^  till  at  lengtb  another  buck 
came  up;  and  him  he  'succeeded  in  shooting 
down.     He  reached  home  before  night,  bearing 
his  game  along  with  him  in  triumph. 

These  anecdotes  are  introduced  for  the  pur- 
pose of  showing,  in  the  simplest  manner,  tba 
mode  of  education  generally  adopted  among 
the  Indians.  Whatever  the  child  learns,  he 
learns  for  the  most  part  from  observation  of  his 

€}Ar\fei        nr%A       \\\a       rtrwnt'fiAoa  HlC      r»«*l//p      IS      tVlfl 


EDBCAT!0>f. 


147 


pur  of  l„s  exertions.  He  soon  finds,  that 
success  as  a  hunter  will  make  him  respected  by 
h.s  tnbc,  while  ignorance  or  awkwardness  sub^ 
jea  hnn  to  mtolerable  ridicule.  He  listens 
10  every  thing  that  is  said  of  hunting  and  trap- 
p-ng  at  home,  and  eagerly  goes  abroad  with  the 

■t  L  J!  r'T  T'  P'''^^  '■°^  '''•"^^"■-  Thus 
«  takes  him  but  few  years  to  acquire  a  consid- 
erable degree  of  experience;  and  his  reputation 
always  corresponds  to  his  merit. 

The  same  feeling  just  mentioned  is  appealed 

branches  ofan  Indian  education.     It  is  true,  to 
a  great  extent,  of  numerous  tribes,  as  Hecice- 

a  fiter::;^  5  *?'^^"^''  '^^' 

his  Children:. I  llTuchlXi::; 
er"L     "'''=''"r""'Soupo^uch'a„' 

rdj'^ltwl    *^/""^^''"''*^^ 
"  "•       ims  word  good  operates,  as  it 

were  by  magic  and  the  children  immediately 
V  e  w«h  each  other  to  comply  with  the  wishes 
of  their  parent.  If  a  fatlier  sees  an  old  de- 
crepit man  or  woman  pass  by,  led  along  by  a 
ch  Id,  he  will   draw  the  attention  of  hi  own 

"  """  "•"'"■  "^'  «'l"«l'  pays  such  attention  to 


148 


EDUCATION. 


the  aged!  That  child,  indeed,  looks  forward 
to  the  time  when  he  will  himself  be  old!'  or  he 
will  say,  '  May  the  great  Spirit,  who  looks  upon 
him,  grant  this  good  child  a  long  life! ' 

In  this  manner  of  bringing  up  children,  the 
parents,  adds  Heckewelder,  are  seconded  by 
the  whole  community.  If  a  child  is  sent  from 
his  father's  dwelling  to  carry  a  dish  of  victuals  to 
an  aged  person,  all  in  the  house  will  join  in  call- 
ing him  a  good  child.  They  will  ask  whose 
child  he  is,  and  on  being  told,  will  exclaim: 
*  What!  has  the  Tortoise^  or  the  Little  Bear  (as 
the  father's  name  may  be)  so  excellent  a  child?' 
If  a  child  is  seen  passing  through  the  streets  lead- 
ing an  old  decrepit  person,  the  villagers  will,  in 
his  hearing,  and  to  encourage  all  the  other  chil- 
dren who  may  be  present  to  take  example  from 
him,  call  on  one  another  to  look  on  and  see  what 
a  good  child  that  must  be.  And  so,  in  most  in- 
stances, this  method  is  resorted  to  for  the  pur- 
pose of  instructing  children  in  things  that  are 
good,  proper,  or  honorable  in  themselves;  while, 
on  the  other  hand,  when  a  child  has  committed 
a  had  act,  the  parent  will  say  to  him:  *  0!  how 
grieved  I  am  that  my  child  has  done  this  had 
act!  I  hope  he  will  never  do  so  again.'  This 
iS  gencfaiiy  cuoctuaj,  particularly  n  saiu  in  in© 


MANAGEMENT   OP    CHILDREN. 


149 


IS* 


,l^0 

150 


MANAGEMENT  OF  CHILDREN. 


s; 


li 


presence  of  others.  The  whole  of  the  Indian 
plan  of  education  tends  to  elevate  rather  than 
depress  the  mind,  and  by  that  means  to  make 
determined  hunters  and  fearless  warriors. 

The   engraving   represents   the   manner    in 
which  the  Indian  women  of  Virginia,  and  other 
parts  of  the  Atlantic  coast,  were  accustomed  to 
carry  their   children  in  travelling;  as  also  the 
mode  of  confining  them   to  a  kind  of  broad 
frame  which  answered  the  purpose  of  a  cradle. 
Wool,  fur,  or  some  other  soft  material  was  al- 
ways put  between  the  child  and  the  board.     In 
this   posture   it   was   sometimes   kept   several 
months,  until  the  bones  began  to  harden,  the 
joints  to  knit,  and  the  limbs  to  grow  strong. 
Of  course,  it  could  either  be  laid  flat  on  its 
back,  set  leaning  on  one  end  against  a  wall,  or 
hung  up  to  a  tree  or  peg  by  a  strap  fastened  to 
one  extremity  for  that   purpose.     It  will  be 
seen,  that  the  manner  of  carrying  the  child  in 
summer  compelled  him  to  exercise  his  limbs  in 
holding  on.     Something  very  nearly  correspond- 
ing to  all  the  customs  indicated  here,  is  com 
mon  at  this  day  among  the  Indians  of  the  re- 
mote North  and  West.     The  sketch  prefixed 
to  this  chapter  represents  a  modern  Chippewa 
woman,  carrying  her  child  in  the  winter  season. 


NAMES  OP  CHILDREN.  Igl 

The  names  of  Indian  children  are  in  general 
g'ven  to  them  after  animals  of  various  kindT 
and  ,.en  fishes  and  reptiles.      Thus  they  are 

Battle-snake,  Black-snake,  &c.  They  give 
other  descriptive  titles,  from  the  personal  quali- 
ues  of  te  child,  or  from  mere  fancy  and  caprice. 

happemng  of  extraordinary  events.    Thusagreat 
warrior,  who  had  been  impatiently  waiting'  fo 
day-hght  to  engage  the  enemy,  was  afterwards 
called  Came  day-Kght,  or  Make  daylight  ap. 
pear       So  one  who  had  come  in  with  a  heavy 
load  of  turkeys  on  his  back,  was  called  The  Car- 
ner  of  Turkeys;  and  another  whose  shoes  were 
generally  torn  or  patched,  was  called  Bad-Shoes 
All  those  names  are  generally  expressed  in  one 
single  word,  m  compounding  which  the  Indians 
are  very  ingenious.     Thus,  the  name  they  had 
for  the  place  where  Philadelphia  now  stands, 
and  which  they  have  preserved  notwithstanding 
the  great  change   which  has   taken  place,  is 
Kuequenaku*  which  means.  The  grove  of  the 
long  pine-trees,  f 


'According  totlie 


M 


i 


t  Heckewelder. 


'«  »T=rfc,i/vf* 


152 


NAMES    OP    CHILDREN. 


II 
If 


In  regard  to  titles,  it  may  be  observed  in  this 
connexion,  that  the  Indians  have  proper  names, 
not  only  for  all  towns,  villages,  mountains,  val- 
leys, rivers,  and  streams,  but  for  all  remarkable 
spots,  as,  for  instance,  those  which  are  particu- 
larly infested  with  gnats  or  musquitoes,  where 
snakes  have  their  dens,  &c.  Those  names  al- 
ways contain  an  allusion  to  such  particular  cir- 
cumstance, so  that  foreigners,  even  though  ac- 
quainted with  their  language,  will  often  be  at  a 
loss  to  understand  their  discourse. 

To  strangers,  white  men  for  example,  they 
will  give  names  derived  from  some  remarkable 
quality  which  they  have  observed  in  them,  or 
from  some  circumstance  which  remarkably 
strikes  them.  When  they  were  told  the  mean- 
ing of  the  name  of  William  Penn,  they  trans- 
lated it  into  their  own  language  by  Miquon, 
which  means  a  feather  or  quill.  The  Iroquois 
called  him  Onas^  which  in  their  idiom  means 
the  same  thing. 

The  first  name  given  by  the  Indians  to  the 
Europeans  w^ho  landed  in  Virginia  was  Wapsid 
Lenape  (white  people;)  when,  however,  they 
afterwards  began  to  commit  murders  on  the  red 
men,  whom  they  pierced  with  swords,  they 
gave  to  the  Virginians  the  name  JSIechanschicau^ 


NAMES    OP    CHILDREN. 


163 


(long-knives,)  to  distinguish  them  from  others 
of  the  same  color. 

In  New  England,  they  at  first  endeavored  to 
imitate  the  sound  of  the  national  name  of  the 
English,  which  they  pronounced  Yengees;  and 
hence  the  origin  of  the  common  word  Yankee, 
now  generally  applied  to  the  people  of  this  sec- 
tion in  every  other  part  of  the  United  States, 


i 


I, A 


rj 


154 


HUNTING. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Anecdote,  of  Indian  H„»Ti»o-M„de,  of  hunting  thegraxiy 
Wr  of  the  NonK-We,.-Of  the  biack  or  brown^bea/of  U,e 
Oft  beaver-Of  the  o,ler-Of  U,e  porc„„i„e- 

2L1     f  .1  ""'^'"•'™"  superstition,  in  relation   to 

Ztlngf  ^»'-'— Travellers'  anecdotes  of  Indian 

The   Indians    train    themselves   to    huntme 
from  their  earliest  youth;  and  it  is  an  exercise 


which  IS  esteemed  no  less  honorable,  than  it  is 
necessary  to  their  subsistence.  A  cunniiig  and 
courageous  hunter  stands  second,  in  the  opinion 
ol  his  countrymen,  only  to  a  distinguished 
warrior.  ° 


Hunting. 


The   Indian 


156 


is  generally  indolent;  but  in 
hu  .„g  >n  war,  he  becomes  active  'and  Jig" 
lant.  The  white  man  can  scarcely  credit  tL 
accounts  given  by  travellers  of  the'^^e  itl  a„d 
certamty  with  which  the  savage  follows  he 
scarcely  discernible  footsteps  of  I  wild  bit  „ 
Ae  forest,  or  of  the  shrewdness  with  which 
he  contrives  to  kill  or  capture,  after  overtaking 
the  object  of  his  chase.  «"aKing 

xvhf  ■"■  /'^•=''««;«W«  speaks  of  a  white  man 
who  unfortunate  y,  at  his  camn  in  »  A.  i     •  i. 
ibnt  o„  I  J-      J  P  "  ^  °^*  night, 

shot  an  Indian  dog,  mistaking  it  for  a  wolf 

w  .ch  had  the  night  before  entered  the  enclpl 

ment  and  eaten   up  all  the  meat.     The  dog 

mortally  wounded,  having  returned  to  the  Indian 

camp  at  the  distance  of  a  mile,  caused  much 
gnef  and  uneasiness  to  the  owner,-the  more 
so  as  he  suspected  the  act  had  been  committed 
irom   malice   towards   the   Indians.     He  was 
ordered   to    inquire  into   the  matter;   and  th^ 
white  man,  being  brought  before  him,  candidly 
confessed  that  he  had  killed  the  dog,  believing  ' 
n  to  be  a  wolf.     The  Indian  asked  him  whethef 
he  could  not  discern  the  different  between  the 
steps    or  trampling  of  a  wolf  and  that  of  a 
log,  let  the  night  be  ever  so  dark.'     The  white 
answered  in  the  negative,  and  -»id  hp  '-y--j 


i  » 


*% 


156 


GRIZZLY   BEAR. 


no  man  alive  could  do  that ;  on  which  the 
whole  company  burst  out  into  laughter  at  the 
ignorance  of  the  whites,  and  their  want  of  skill 
in  so  plain  and  common  a  matter,  and  the 
delinquent  was  freely  forgiven. 

The  modes  of  Indian  hunting  are  as  various 
•IS  the  wit  of  man  could   devise.     When  the 
hunter  pursues  his  game,  (instead  of  trapping 
it,)  the  more  common  practice  is  for  each  man 
to  go  by  himself,  his  object  being  simply  his 
own  sustenance,  and  the  support  of  his  family. 
Hunting-parties  are  however  formed,  either  for 
the  sake  of  occasional  amusement,  as   among 
the  whites; — or  when  the  sufferings  of  a  band 
from  hunger  become  so  desperate  that  a  despe- 
rate effort  must  be  made  for  relief; — or  lastly, 
when  the  game  in  view  is  of  such  a  character, 
in    respect  to  its  ferocity  or  numbers,  that  a 
party  can  accomplish  much  more,  proportion- 
ately, in  pursuit  of  it,  than  a  single  adventurer. 
The  grizzly  bear*  of  the  North- West  belongs 
to   the  class  last  named.     This  animal  is    so 
powerful  and  so  fierce,    that  for  one   man  to 
attack  him  would  be  considered  an  act  of  mad- 
ness.    As  he  roams  at  large,  indeed,  the  Indian 
seldom  has  the  hardihood  to  pursue  him  v/ith 

♦  See  cut  prefixed  to  this  chapter. 


lich  the 
'  at  the 
of  skill 
ind   the 

various 
len  the 
'apping 
ih  man 
ply  his 
family, 
her  for 
among 
a  hand 
despe- 
lastly, 
Tacter, 
that  a 
ortion- 
iturer. 
>elongs 
is    so 
lan  to 
•  mad- 
Indian 
1  v/ith 


BEAR-HUNTING.  j^^ 

A  cons.derabIe  party  i.  eoUeCed,  and  eSd 
wait  <^,  1  the  enemy  again  ventures  to  look  forth 

,  So  also  the  common  black  bear  of  the  Nnr,h 
.s  often  hunted  by  a  party,  who,  haWng  aS 
at  the  place  where  he  is  supposed  to  coTced 
h.msel  orm  themselves  intfa  circle  actrt 
•ng  to  the,r  number;  and  moving  onward  en- 
deavor,  as  they  advance  towards' he  Zi  "o 
d-scover  the  retreat  of  their  prey.  Thus  tf  ;b^^ 
he  .n  the  intermediate  space,  'tbey  are  su^e^f 

takes  to  flight  on  seemg  either  a  man  or  a  do/ 
but  .s  fnghtfully  ferocious  in  attack,  or  afte 
being  wounded.  '  '®' 

Tanner  once  killed  an  old  she-bear  which 
:::rf:\  ^^''^^^  »•«  was  in  an  o"he72 
spects,  hke  the  common  black  bear.  She  had 
four  cubs;  one   white,  like  herself,  with  red 


old  one  being  quite  *  tame, 


14 


as  he 


i   V 


n 


"iSf 


'I      I 


m 


411 


cava 


sa 


ya, 


158 


BteAR-HUNTINO. 


he  killed  her  without  difficulty.  He  shot  two 
of  the  cubs  also  in  the  hole,  while  the  other 
two  made  their  escape  into  a  tree. 

The  next  day  he  chased  a  black  bear  into  a 
low  poplar-tree.     Having  a  poor  gun,  he  shot 
at  her  fifteen  times  ineffectually,  and  was  finally 
obliged  to  climb  into  the  tree,  and  place  the 
muzzle  close  to  the  animal's  head,  before  he 
could  bring  her  down.     Soon  afterwards,  he 
started,  at  the  same  moment,  an  elk  and  three 
young  bears,   the  latter  running  into   a   tree. 
He  shot  at  the  young  bears,  and  two  of  them 
fell.     Supposing  they  might  be  only  wounded, 
he  ran  forward  to  despatch  them,  when,  as  he 
had  nearly  reached  the  root  of  the  tree,  out 
rushed  the  old  she-bear,  jumping  along  in  the 
opposite  direction.     She  caught  up   the   cub 
which  had  fallen  neare*?^  to  her,  and  raising  it 
with  her  paw, — while  she  stood  on  her  hind 
feet  holding  it  as  a  woman  holds  a  child, — she 
looked  at  it  for  a  moment,  and  c,melled  the  ball- 
hole  in  its  breast.     Finding  it  dead,  she  dashed 
it  down,  and  leaped  forward  towards  Tanner, 
gnashing  her  teeth,  and  walking  so  erect,  that 
her  head  was  as  high  as  his.     All  this  was  so 

sudden  that  he  had  scarcely  reloaded  his  gun, 

although  a  well-bred  hunter,  after  discharging 


bear-hontino. 


159 


his  piece,  thmks  of  nothing  else   till  he  has 
reloaded  n.     It  „„,  loaded,  however;  and  hav 
>ngjust  time  ,o  raise  and  discharge    t  a'^    he 
a  .mal  came  within   reach  of  the'muzzle,  L 
laid  her  prostrate  at  his  feet. 

With  this  same  gun,  he  killed,  i„  the  course 
of  a  month,   twenty-four  bears,   besides   ten 
i»oose    and  other  small  game.     One  Lht 
when  he  had  made  his  cam?  under  a  grove  of 

'  T\  H  "'  ''°f  '■"  "'^  '»''^^'  °f  -  -de  plain 
his  Indian  mother  either  dreamed  of  a  bea; 

ftat  she  did  so,  for  the  sake  of  encouraging 
Tanner.     She   told  him  such  a  story,  af^! 
events;  and  very  likelv  <:h«   i.„j      ^ 
tparn^  „<■        u  y     "^  "^d   seen  some 

trace,  of  such  an  animal,  which  she  did  not 

for  him  the  next  morning,  and  found  him  in  his 

for  the  "^f '''''"/  -dthen  waiting  a  momen 
for  the  smoke  to  clear  away,  rather  rashly,  as 
he  saw  him  lying  flat  at  the  bottom,  he  wen 
down  head-foremos,  to  drag  him  out.     AsTs 

the  light,  he  did  not  perceive  that  the  animal 
was  alive,  until  he  laid  his  hand  on  him.  The 
re7e""i:i!!'^_=''-^--''«him.     He 


fast  as 


possiuie,  while,  ail  the  way, 


.V 


''' 

1 

» 

kM 

»l 

M 

m 

'!'■) 

1 

H 

i. 

■ 

■■ 

f  !^ 


M 


160 


BEAR-HVNTINO 


the  creature  was  sn?»pping  his  teeth  so  near 
him  that  he  felj  iii:.7  breath  warm  on  his  face. 
Tanner  caught  his  gun  up  as  he  leaped  from 
the  mouth  of  the  den;  and  as  soon  as  he  thought 
he  had  gained  distance  enough,  he  fired  behind 
him,  broke  the  bear's  jaw^  mju  then  soon  suc- 
ceeded in  killing  him.  After  this  adventure, 
he  was  extremely  cautious,  —  as  a  practised 
Indian  hunter  always  is, — about  crawling  into 
bears'  holes,  while  the  animals  were  still  alive. 

The  dog  was  of  great  service  to  Tanner,  as 
to  the  Indians  he  generally  is,  in  hunting  this 
powerful  animal .  In  one  of  his  rencounters  with 
a  stout  bear,  he  had  three  dogs  with  him;  the 
youngest  and  smallest  of  which,  having  rather 
more  valor  than  discretion,  passed  Tanner  and 
the  other  dogs,  and  immediately  assailed  the  ene- 
my's head  without  ceremony.  The  enraged 
bear  almost  instantly  killed  him,  caught  him  up 
in  his  mouth,  and  carried  him  more  than  a  mile, 
before  he  was  himself  overtaken  and  shot  down. 

The  Nootkas  of  the  North- West  coast  have 
the  following  singular  mode  of  entrapping  the 
bear.  On  the  edge  of  a  small  stream  of  water 
in  the  mountains,  which  the  salmon  ascend,  and 
near  the  spot  where  the  bear  is  accustomed  to 
watch  for  them,  which  is  known  by  its  track,  a 


I 


BEAR-HUNTING. 


161 


SO  near 
lis  face, 
ed  from 
thought 

behind 
)on  suc- 
i^enture, 
ractised 
ing  into 
II  alive, 
nner,  as 
ing  this 
ers  with 
im;  the 
;  rather 
ner  and 
the  ene- 
enraged 
him  up 

a  mile, 
tdown. 
3t  have 
Ing  the 
f  water 
id,  and 
nfied  to 
track,  a 


trap  or  box  about  the  height  of  a  man's  head  is 
bu.lt  of  posts  and  planks,  with  a  flat  top,  on 
wh.ch  are  laid  a  number  of  I.rgs  stones  or  rocks. 
1  Jie  top  and  sides  are  then  carefully  covered 
with  turf,  so  as  to  resemble  a  little  mound,  and 
whcJly  to  exclude  the  light,  a  narrow  entrance 
of  the  height  of  the  building  only  being   left, 
just  sufljcent  to  admit  the  head  and  shoulders 
of  the  beast.     On  the  inside,  to  a  large  plank 
tliat  covers  the  top,  is  suspended  by  a  strong 
,cord  a  salmon,  the  plank  being  left  loose  so  dmt 
a  forcible  pull  will  bring  it  down.     On  coming 
to  us  usual  haunt,  the  bear  enters  the  trap,  and 
m   endeavoring  to  pull   away  the  fish,   bring, 
down  the  whole  covering  with  its  load  of  stones 
upomts  head,  and  is  almost  always  crushed  to 
death  on  the  spot,  or  so  wounded  as  to  be  un- 
able to  escape.* 

This  beat  is  at  no  time  insignificant  game, 
but  among  some  tribes  there  is  a  peculiar  pride 
lelt,  even  to  this  day,  in  killing  him.  This  is 
supposed  to  arise  from  an  ancient  tradition 
which  these  tribes  ^reserve  of  a  very  formida- 
ble kind  of  bear,  called  the  naked  bear,  which 
they  say  once  existed,  but  was  at  length  entirely 
exterminated  by  their  ancestors.     Mr.  Hecke- 

♦Jewett's  Narrative.  "* 

14* 


t 

i 


■')''J 


i!l 


Jl 


;l 


162 


BEAR-HUNTING. 


welder  relates,   that  a  Delaware   hunter  once 
shot  a  huge  bear  and  broke  its  back-bone.     The 
animal  fell,  and  set  up  a   most  plaintive  cry, 
something  like  that  of  the  panther  when  he  ia 
hungry.     The  hunter,  instead    of  giving   hin\ 
another  shot,  stood  up  close  to  him,  and  address-, 
ed  him  in  these  words:  '  Hark  ye!  bear;  you 
are  a  coward,  and  no  warrior,  as  you  pretend  to 
be.     Were  you  a  warrior,  you  would  show  it 
by  your  firmness,  and  not  cry  and  whimper  like 
an  old  woman.     You  know,  bear,  that  our  tribes 
are  at  war  with  each  other,  and  that  yours  was 
the  aggressor.*     You  have  found  the  Indians 
too  powerful  for  you,  and  you  have  gone  sneak- 
ing about  in  the  woods,  stealing  their  hogs;  per- 
haps at  this  very  time  you  have  hog's  flesh  in 
your  den.     Had  you  conquered  me,  I   would 
have  borne  it  with  courage,  and  died  like  a  brave 
warrior;  but  you,  bear,  sit  here  and  cry,  and 
disgrace  your  tribe  by  your  cowardly  conduct.* 
Heckewelder  heard  the  delivery  of  this  curious 
invective.     When  the  hunter  had  despatched  the 

*  Probably  alluding  to  a  tradition  which  the  Indians  have  of 
a  very  ferocious  kind  of  bear,  called  the  naked  bear,  which  they 
say  once  existed,  but  was  totally  destroyed  by  their  ancestors. 
The  last  was  killed  in  the  State  of  New  York,  at  a  place  they 
called  Hooaink,  which  means  the  Baain,  or  more  properly  the 
Kettle, 


ter  once 
s.  The 
ive  cry, 
en  he  ia 
ing  him 
address-i 
jar;  yoq 
etend  to 
show  it 
nper  like 
ur  tribes 
)urs  was 
Indians 
e  sneak- 
5s;  per- 
flesh  in 
[  would 
!  a  brave 
ny,  and 
3nduct.* 
curious 
jhed  the 

us  have  of 
vhich  they 
ancestors, 
place  they 
operly  the 


BEAR-HUNTINO.  jg3 

bear,  he  asked   him  how  he  thought  that  poor 

rrn    Ti**  l""'^""'"''  ^hat  he  said  to  it? 

Oh!  sa.d  he  m  answer,  '  the  bear  understood 
me  very  well;  d.d  you  not  observe  how  asham- 
ed  he  looked  while  I  was  upbraiding  him?' 

At  another  time  the  same  gentleman  wimessed 
a  similar  scene  between  the  falls  of  the  Ohio 

Z     TJ",r   ^'"''^'''     ^  y°""S  ^hite  man, 
named  miham  Wells,*  who  had  been  when  a 

boy  taken  prisoner  by  a  tribe  of  the  Wabash 

tiT^    I  "u"""  ^^  ""'  '"■""S'''  "P-  «»d  had 
mbibed  all  the.r  notions,  had  so  wounded  a 

large  bear  that  he  could  not  move  from  the  spot; 

and  the  animal  cried  as  piteously  as  the  one  we 

have  just  mentioned.     The  young  man  went 

up  to  h.m,  and  with  seemingly  great  earnestness, 

addressed  him  in   the  Wabash  language,  no,; 

and  then  g.ving  h.m  a  slight  stroke  on  the  nose 

with  h.s  ram-rod.     He  was  asked,  when  he  had 

done,  what  he  had  been  saying  to  the  bear.'     '  I 

have,   said  he,  'upbraided  him  for  acting  the 

partof  a  coward;  I  told  him  that  he  knew  the 

fortune  of  war,  that  one  or  the  other  of  us  must 

liave  fallen;  that  it  was  his  fate  to  be  conquered, 

•  The  .ame  whom  Mr.  de  Vohey  ,p«,k,  of  i„  his  exoelle« 


I, 


t 
'I 


m 


164 


BEAR-HUNTING. 


w. 


Iff 


>  =1 


! 


i 


i! ;  ; 


J 


(  I 


and  he  ought  to  die  like  a  man,  like  a  hero,  and 
not  like  an  old  woman;  that  if  the  case  had  been 
reversed,  and  I  had  failed  into  the  power  of  my 
enemy,  I  would  not  have  disgraced  my  nation 
as  he  did,  but  would  have  died  with  firmness 
and  courage,  as  becomes  a  true  warrior.  '=* 

The  traveller,  Henry,  gives  a  curious  anec- 
dote of  a  bear-hunt  in  which  he  took  part  with 
some  Chippewas.  He,  and  the  party  to  which 
he  belonged,  had  encamped  in  the  woods,  for 
the  purpose  of  hunting.  While  here,  in  the 
course  of  the  month  of  January,  he  happened 
to  observe  that  the  trunk  of  a  very  large  pine- 
tree  was  much  torn  by  the  claws  of  a  bear,  made 
both  in  going  up  and  down.  On  further  exami- 
nation, he  saw  that  there  was  a  large  opening,  in 
the  upper  part,  near  which  the  smaller  branches 
were  broken.  From  these  marks,  and  from 
the  additional  circumstance,  that  there  were  no 
tracks  on  the  snow,  there  was  reason  to  bel'eve 
that  a  bear  lay  concealed  in  the  tree. 

On  returning  to  the  lodge,  he  communicated 
his  discovery;  and  it  was  agreed  that  all  the 
family  should  go  together,  in  the  morning,  to 
assist  in  cutting  down  the  tree,  the  girth  of  which 
was  not  less  than  twenty  feet.     The  women, 

♦  Historical  Account. 


lijil 


lero,  and 
bad  been 
3r  of  my 
7  nation 
firmness 

• 

IS  anec- 
art  ivith 
o  which 
ods,  for 
in  the 
ippened 
^e  pine- 
r,  made 
•  exami- 
ning, in 
ranches 
id  from 
vere  no 
bel'eve 

inicated 
all  the 
ling,  to 
f  which 
vomen, 


BEAR-HUNTING. 


165 


at  first  opposed  the  undertaking,  because  the 
axes,  being  only  of  a  pound  and  a  half  weight 
were  not  well  adapted  to  so  heavy  a  labor;  but 
the  hope  of  finding  a  large  bear,  and  obtaining 
from  ns  fat  a  great  quantity  of  oil,  an  article  at 
the  time  much  wanted,  at  length  prevailed 

*  In  the  morning,'  adds  Henry,  ^we  surround- 
ed the  tree,  both  men  and  women,  as  many  at  a 
time  as  could  conveniently  work  at  it;  and  here 
wa  toiled,  like  beavers,  till  the  sun  went  down. 
'  Ihis   day's  work   carried  us  about   half  way 
through  the  trunk;   and  the  next  morning  we 
renewed  the  attack,  continuing  it  till  about  two 
o  clock,  m  the  afternoon,  when  the  tree  fell  to 
the  ground.     For  a  few  minutes,  every  thin# 
remained  quist,  and  I  feared  that  all  our  expec- 
tations  were  disappointed;  but,  as  I  advanced 
to  the  opening,  there  came  out,  to  the  great 
satisfaction  of  all  our  party,  a  bear  of  extraordi- 
nary size,  which,  before  she   had   proceeded 
many  yards,  I  shot. 

The  bear  being  dead,  a"  my  assistants  ap- 
proached, and  all,  but  more  particularly  my  old 
mother,  (as  i  was  wont  to  call  her,)  'took  his 
head  in  their  Lands,  stroking  and  kissing  it  sev- 
eral  times;  begging  a  thousand  pardons  for 
taking  away  her  life;  calling  her  their  relation 


4 

'       '/! 

,  I  '■» 

,  i     '1^  I 

!  „■- 

I 

':'  III 


If-' 


V: 


ill 


11  SI 

ii" 


m 


166 


BEAR-HUNTING. 


1    TO: 

i  11^ 


and  grand-mother;  and  requesting  her  not  to 
lay  the  fault  upon  them,  since  it  was  truly  an 
Englishman  that  had  put  her  to  death. 

This  ceremony  was  not  of  long  duration;  and 
if  it  was  I  that  killed  their  grand-mother,  they 
were  not  themselv^es  hehind-hand  in  what  re- 
mained to  be  performed.  The  skin  being  taken 
off,  we  found  the  fat  in  several  places  six  inches 
deep.  This,  being  divided  into  two  parts,  load- 
ed two  persons;  and  the  flesh-parts  were  as 
much  as  four  persons  could  carry.  In  all,  the 
carcass  must  have  exceeded  five  hundred 
weight. 

As  soon  as  we  reached  the  lodge,  the  bear's 
head  was  adorned  with  all  the  trinkets  in  the 
possession  of  the  family,  such  as  silver  arm- 
bands and  waist-bands,  and  belts  of  wampum; 
and  then  laid  upon  a  scaffold,  set  up  for  its  re- 
ception, within  the  lodge.  Near  the  nose,  was 
placed  a  large  quantity  of  tobacco. 

The  next  morning  no  sooner  appeared,  than 
preparations  were  made  for  a  feast  to  the  manes. 
The  lodge  was  cleaned  and  swept;  and  the  head 
of  the  bear  lifted  up,  and  a  new  stroud  blanket, 
which  had  never  been  used  before,  spread  under 
it.  The  pipes  were  now  lit;  and  Wawatam 
blew  tobacco-smoke  into  the  nostrils  of  the  bear, 


ed  her.  I  endeavored  to  persuade  my  bene- 
factorand^  friendly  adviser,  tha.  she  nolong^ 
had  any  hfe,  and  assured  him  that  I  was  unL 
na  apprehension  from  her  displeasur  ;  bm 
the  first  proposition  obtained  no  credit,  and  the 
second  gave  but  litde  satisfaction. 

commen?'!'  ""^ ''^^^'/-"S  ^^ady,  Wawatam 
commenced  a  speech,  resembling,  i„  many 
Amgs,  h,s  address  to  the  manes  of  lis  reS 
and  departed  companions;  but,  having  this  pe- 
cuhanty    that  he  here  deplored  the 'necessity 

jnends.  He  represented,  however,  that  the 
misfortune  was  unavoidable,  since  without  doing 
so,  they  could  by  no  means  subsist.  The 
speech  ended,  we  all  ate  heartily  of  the  bear's 
flesh;  and  even  the  head  itself,  after  remaining 
Aj-ee  days  on  the  scaffold,  was  put  into   the 

Mr.  Henry  observes,  that  it  is  only  the  fe- 
male bear  that  makes  her  winter  lodging  in  the 
upper  parts  of  trees,  a  practice  by  which  her 
young  are  secured  from  the  attacks  of  wolves 
!!!l2*!LJI!Hfmls^  Jhe^^  in    the 

•  Travels  and  Adventures.  1764.  ' 


, ! 


<'.n 


r 


1*= 


.!  5 


li 


t68 


BEAR-HUNTINO. 


winter-season;  and  remains  in  her  lodge  till  the 
cubs  have  gained  some  strength. 

The  male  always  lodges  in  the  ground,  under 
the  roots  of  trees.  He  chooses  this  habitation 
as  soon  at  the  snow  falls,  and  remains  there  till 
it  has  disappeared.  The  Indians  remark,  that 
the  bear  comes  out  in  the  spring  with  the  same 
fat  which  he  carried  in,  in  the  autumn;  but, 
after  exercise  of  only  a  few  days,  becomes  lean. 
Excepting  for  a  short  part  of  the  season,  the 
male  lives  constantlj^  aloncc 

The  fat  of  Henry's  bear  was  melted  down,  and 
the  oil  filled  six  porcupine-skins.*  A  part  of 
the  meat  was  cut  into  strips,  and  tire-dried,  after 
which  it  was  put  into  the  vessels  containing  the 
oil,  where  it  remained  in  perfect  preservation 
until  the  middle  of  summer. 

At  the  present  day  there  is  not  much  regard 
paid  by  the  Indians  to  that  idea  of  relationship 
with  some  of  the  wild  animah  to  which  both 
Heckewelder  and  Henry  refer.  Not  many  of 
them  take  pains  even  to  apologize  for  killing 
their  old  friend,  the  bear.  The  same  is  true  as 
to  the  rabit  and  the  tortoise. 

Henry   found   that  the    Indians,   for   some 


*See  8omc  account  of  thifi  ^oimal  at  the  closd  of 
chapter. 


this 


3  till  the 

:!,  under 
ibitation 
here  till 
rk,  that 
lie  same 
n;  but, 
tes  Iean< 
son,  the 

iwn,  and 
part  of 
ed,  after 
ning  the 
ervation 

1  regard 
tionship 
ch  both 
iiany  of 
r  killing 
1  true  as 

r  some 

>e  of  this 


SNAKE-HUNTING.  jgg 

Reason,  paid  great  respect  to  the  r.nl.       . 
(whom  thev  raU^A  *u  •  cattle-snake, 

across  tht  pt^h^'il/ ^^^^^  ""'^"^''^''^  '^'"S 

Indian  imld;  tllXC  ^f " ''"•     '''' 
said  he,  the  mdeJZ         ^  ^°'"S  ^o;  for, 

Indians  and  Tj^ft  "  S^"''^'"'"''-  '°  ^he 
"s>  and  to  giJe  u    „odce    f""  '""'^'^'  '°S"^"^ 
,  "X  his  ratti  ^hi  h The  :L7:1?  '""''' 
tell  us  "  look  about  I"     AJ  ,   ^^  "'^''^  «<> 

were  to  kill  one  of  L  u^'  "^'^"^  ^''  '^  *« 
W  it,  and  theloe";al;:f  ^^^  •"°""^^°°" 
""d  bite  us.  I  observed  To  K  t '"'  "P°"  "^ 
people  were  not  afrad Inbi^f  \*'  "'^"^ 
all  the  rattle-snakes  that  .1  ^  ^^  '^'"''' 

this  he   inquired  whetheV!^  '"^^  ^"*-     «» 
been  bitten'b,  those  a    ^^^J,'''^^,  "^  ''^d 
answered    in   the  affir"aTv  '      '5  '^""^  ' 
then;"  replied  he,  "you  Lve  to  n     ^°"'^"'' 
selves  for  that'  vou  d^  ?     ""^  ^''"'- 

war  asainst  thL       .        "  ""'''  ''^  "J^claring 
"Sdinst  ttiem,  and  you  will  finH  ,h^^  ■         ° 

country,  where  they  will  nn    <•  >  '"  ^""'^ 

quent  incursions      T:       "!  /     '°  T^"'  ''" 
enemy;    take  c-r^  -  ,  ''^'"^  dangerous 

in  olr  country    LVl^;,r  ™''"^   *"- 
^    ^'^'^y  "^^  their  grandchildren 
15 


i'ti 


i 


:'    V 


'  ''n 


•« 


'    ;t 


I'll/ 


§ 


170 


SNAKE-HUNTlNO. 


U 


(. 


lllf 


are  on  good  terms,  and  neither  will  hurt  the 
other." 

This  superstition  also  extended  to  the  North- 
ern Indians.  Henry  relates  that,  on  one  occa- 
sion, when  he  v/as  gathering  wood  for  a  fire, 
while  the  Indians  in  company  with  him  were 
setting  up  a  camp,  he  heard  an  unusual  sound. 
As  it  presently  ceased,  and  he  saw  nothing 
which  could  give  rise  to  it,  he  continued  his 
employment,  until,  advancing  farther  into  the 
bushes,  he  was  startled  by  a  repetition  of  the 
same  noise.  He  imagined  that  it  came  from 
over  his  head,  but  saw  nothing  in  that  direction. 
He  then  cast  his  eyes  about  him  on  the  ground, 
and  soon  discovered  a  rattle-snake,  not  more 
than  two  feet  distant  from  his  own  naked  legs, — 
coiled,  and  with  its  head  raised  in  a  threatening 
attitude  considerably  above  its  body.  Had  he 
advanced  another  step  before  his  discovery,  he 
must  have  trodden  upon  the  reptile* 

He  instantly  ran  back  to  procure  a  gun  from 
his  canoe,  but  the  Indians  now  observing  what 
he  was  doing,  inquired  the  occasion.  He  told 
them,  and  they  begged  him  to  desist.  At  the 
same  time  they  followed  him  to  the  spot,  with 
their  pipes  and  tobacco-pouches  in  their  hands, 
and  the   snake   was  found  there,  still  coiled. 


!!!i 


Sx\AKE-HU\TlNG. 


lurt  the 

North- 
e  occa- 

a  fire, 
n  were 

sound, 
nothing 
ued  his 
nto  the 

of  the 
ne  from 
rection. 
ground, 
)t  more 
legs,— 
iatening 
3ad  he 
ery,  he 

m  from 
g  what 
le  told 
At  the 
)t,  with 
hands, 
coiled. 


171 


They  surrounded  it,  and  addressed  it  by  turns 
callmg  it  their  '  Grand- Father;'  but  yet  keep- 
ing at  a  prudent  distance.  •  Having  meanwhile 
filled  then-  pipes,  each  one  now  blew  his  smoke 
towards  the  snake,  which,  as  Henry  thought, 
really  seemed  to  be  pleased  with  the  attention. 
After  receiving  this  savory  incense  for  nearly 
half  an  hour,  it  stretched  itself  along  the  ground, 
four  or  five  feet,  and  moved  slowly  away.' 
The  Indians  followed  it,  still  calling  it  Grand- 
Father,  and  beseeching  it  to  take  care  of  their 
families  during  their  absence. 

One  of  the  chiefs  added  a  petition,  that  the 
snake  would  take  no  notice  of  the  insult  which 
had  been  offered  him  by  the  Englishman,  who 
would  even  have  put  him  to  death,  but  for  the 
mterference  of  the  Indians,  to  whom  it  was 
hoped  he  would  impute  no  part  of  the  offence. 
They  further  requested,  that  he  would  remain, 
and  inhabit  their  country,  and  not  return  among 
the  English;  that  is,  go  eastward. 

The  traveller's  party  having  embarked  on  the 
lake  the  same  evening  in  their  canoes,  and 
being  encountered  by  high  winds,  were  much 
alarmed.  From  prayers,  the  Indians  now  pro- 
ceeded to  sacrifices,  both  alike  offered  to  the 
god-rattlesnake,    or  manito-kinibic.      One  of 


■  ft 


1"'^  k\ 


;<■;  '...■■ 

;'*  .J 


¥ 


li 


172 


BEAVER-HUNTINO. 


Hi,!. 


the  chiefs  took  a  dog,  and  after  tying  its  fore 
legs  together,  threw  it  overboard,  at  the  same 
tinrie  calling  on  the  snake  to  preserve  them  from 
being  drowned,  and  desiring  him  to  satisfy  his 
hunger   with   the   carcass   of  the   dog.     The 
snake  was  unpropitious,  and  the  wind  increased. 
Another  chief  sacrificed  another  dog,  with  the 
addition  of  some  tobacco.     In  the  prayer  which 
accompanied  t'    ^e  gifts,  he  besought  the  snake, 
as  before,  not        avenge  upon  the  Indians  the 
insult  which  he  had  received  from  Henry,  in 
the  conception  of  a  design  to  put  him  to  death. 
He  assured  the  snake,  Henry  was  absolutely  an 
Englishman,  and  of  kin  neither  to  him  nor  to 
them.     The  traveller  had  some  apprehension, 
.     m  hints  dropped  by  several  of  the  company, 
th.    they  would  sacrifice  his  own  life  to  ap. 
pease  the  rattle-snake;  but  fortunately  the  storm 
finally  abated,  and   they  reached  an  island  in 
safety. 

That  kind  of  hunting  and  trapping  of  which 
the  beaver  is  the  object,  is  perhaps  of  all  other 
kinds,  the  most  extensively  profitable  to  the 
Indians,  since  in  exchange  for  its  fur  many  of 
them  and  particularly  the  Northern  tribes  procure 
the  most  indispensable  stores  from  the  whites. 
All  the  winter,  from  November  to  April,  these 


BEAVER-HUNTING. 


173 


animals  may  be  found  in  the  places  which  they 
commonly  frequent;  and  at  this  season,  the  fur, 
so  much  esteemed  by  all  civilized  nations,  i 
its  greatest  perfection. 


IS  m 


flit 


They  are  never  taken  witiiout  extreme  cau- 
tion on  the  part  of  the  hunter.     The  eyes  of 
the  beaver  are  remarkably  quick  and  keen,  and 
his  hearing  equally  acute;  and  their  houses  being 
always  built  close  to  the  side  of  a  river,  creek, 
or  lake,  or  to  dams  of  their  own  curious  con' 
struction,  upon  the  slightest  alarm  they  hasten 
to   the   deepest   part   of  the   water,  and  dive 
immediately  to  the  bottom.     What   makes   it 
worse  for  the  pursuer,  each  one,  as  he  does 
this,  makes  a  great  noise  by  beating  the  water 
with  his  tail,  which  serves,  it  would  seem,  to  put 
all  his  companions  on  their  guard. 

15* 


11 


I 


If 


■Mi( 


11- 


inn 


174 


BEAVER-HUNTINO. 


I  3f<1 


They  are,  however,  taken  in  snare*.  They 
usually  lay  up  a  store  of  provisions,  sufficient 
to  subsist  them  during  the  winter,  but  from 
time  to  time  make  excursions  into  the  woods 
round  about  their  dams,  to  procure  farther  sup- 
plies. The  hunters,  knowing  this  practice, 
place  in  their  path  a  rudely-constructed  trap, 
baited  with  small  pieces  of  bark,  or  young 
shoots  of  trees.  These  the  beaver  has  no 
sooner  laid  hold  of,  than  a  large  log  of  wood 
falls  upon  him,  and  cripples  him,  when  his 
enemies  soon  appear  and  complete  the  victory. 

At  other  times,  when  the  ice  on  the  rivers 
and  lakes  is  about  half  a  foot  thick,  the  hunter 
makes  an  opening  through  it  with  his  hatchet. 
To  this  the  beavers  will  soon  hasten,  on  being 
disturbed  at  their  houses,  for  a  supply  of  fresh 
air.  As  their  breath  occasions  considerable 
motion  in  the  water,  the  hunter  has  sufficient 
notice  of  their  approach;  and  measures  are 
easily  taken  for  knocking  them  on  the  head  the 
moment  they  appear  above  the  surface. 

When  the  beavers'  houses  happen  to  be  near 
a  rivulet,  they  are  more  easily  destroyed.  The 
hunter  cuts  holes  in  the  ice,  and  spreads  a 
strong  net  under  it.  He  then  breaks  down  the 
cabins  of  the  animal,  who  never  fails  to  make 


They 
lufficient 

ut   from 

• 

5  woods 
her  sup- 
)ractice, 
3d  trap, 
'   young 
has   no 
»f  wood 
ben   his 
victory. 
3  rivers 
hunter 
latchet. 
n  being 
)f  fresh 
derable 
efficient 
"es   are 
sad  the 

be  near 
The 
•eads  a 
wn  the 
»  make 


OTTER-HUNTING. 


115 


his  escape   to  the  deepest  part,  where  he  is 

entangl-d  m  the  net  and  taken. 

There  has  been  a  time  when  the  beaver  also, 

was  an  object  )f  veneration.  The  Indians 
would  not  suffer  dogs  to  touch  their  bones,  for 
fear  the  sjjirits  of  the  animals,  exasperated  by 
the  msult,  should  render  the  next  hunting-season 
unsuccssful. 


hv'^h^T\''  T^''  '"™''  much  esteemed 
by  the  Northern  Indians  for  its  fur.     It  is  both 
hunted  and  ,,pp3,.     Its  strongest  pecJiaX 
<s   Its  toughness.      Tanner    often-  heard    the 
savages   say,  that  the   stoutest   n,an,  without 
arms  of  some  k,nd,  could  not  kill  one.     He 
doubted  this  for  a  long  time ;  but  one  day  seeing 
an  otter  some  distance  out  on  the  ice  of  a  lake? 


*  il  ' 


:i'  'i 


HI  ■ . 


// 


W 


^^ 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I    I  "^  1^ 


L2I  i  u  1 1.6 


Sciences 
Coiporation 


k 


// 


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s. 


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is 


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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


^ 


176 


PORCUPINE-HUNTING. 


s  *■ 


in  the  winter,  he  concluded  to  try  the  expen 
ment.  He  caught  the  animal,  aiid  for  the 
space  of  nearly  an  hour,  exerted  himself,  with 
his  utmost  strength,  to  kill  him.  He  beat 
him,  and  kicked  him,  and  jumped  upon  him; 
but  all  to  no  purpose.  He  tried  to  strangle 
him  with  his  hands;  but  after  lying  still  a  little 
while,  he  would  shorten  his  neck,  and  draw  his 
head  down  between  Tanner's  hands,  so  that 
the  breath  would  pass  through.  In  fine,  he 
was  compelled  at  length  to  acknowledge,  that 
he  could  not  kill  this  sturdy  antagonist  without 


arms. 


The  porcupine  is  killed  with  more  ease,  and 
is  so  easily  come  up  with,  especially,  that  no- 
thing like  hunting  can  be  said  to  be  necessary, 
although  the  flesh  of  the  animal  is  often  eaten 
by  the  Indians,  and  is  said  to  be  very  good. 


ii;^i^ 


PORCUPINE-HUNTING.  J  77 

The  stup>dity  of  the  porcupine  is  no  less  pro- 
verbial  with  hunters  than  the  hardihood  of  the 
animal  last  named. 

fhX^'t  ^l  ''  '''*'"S'  '"  *"  night-time,  along 
the  bank  o(  a  nver,  the  hunter  who  passes  by 
him  with  his  canoe,  sometimes  raises  some  of 
the  animal's  food  on  the  end  of  his  paddle  and 
holds  It  to  his  nose,  without  his  ever  perceivine 
the  presence  of  a  man.     The  porcupine  has  no 
protection  but  his  quills.     These  indeed  answer 
such  a  purpose  that  dogs  can  very  seldom  be 
induced  to  attack  him;  and  when  they  do  so 
they  are  likely  to  feel  much  the  worse  for  it  a 
long  time 


'\.0 


i!  li 


178 


RACOON-HUNTING. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Hunting  continued — Mode  of  hunting  the  racoon — Anecdotes 
of  deer-hunting  in  ancient  times — The  deer  hunted  by  the 
wolf— Anecdotes  of  moose,  rein-deer,  and  elk-hunting — 
Practises  of  the  Dog-Rib  and  other  Indians  of  the  North 
-—Of  the  Penobscots  and  other  more  Southern  tribes — Hunt- 
ing among  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

The  racoon  is  also  much  hunted  by  the  In- 
dians for  its  fur.  This  animal,  we  are  told  by 
Henry,  goes  abroad  in  the  evening;  and  that 
traveller  was  accustomed  to  hunt  for  him  at 


that  time.  The  dog  is  of  great  service  in  this 
case.  The  moment  he  falls  on  the  fresh  track 
of  a  racoon,  he  gives  notice  by  a  cry,  and  im- 
mediately commences  a  vigorous  chase,  his 
noise  enabling  his  master  to  follow  him.  The 
racoon,  travelling  rather  slowly,  is  soon  over* 


li  91)1 


DEER-HUNTINO. 


179 


I— Anecdotes 
lilted  by  the 
Ik-hunting — 
>f  the  North 
•ibes — Hunt- 

y  the  In- 

8  told  by 

and  that 

*  him  at 


;e  in  this 
3sh  track 
and  im- 
lase,  his 
1.  The 
m  over* 


teken,  and  resorts  to  a  tree,  where  he  is  shot. 

X  he  track  we  have  spoken  of  is  easily  discern- 
ed on  the  snow.  During  the  winter,  the  rac- 
oon rarely  leaves  his  habitation,  and  has  only  to 
be  traced  to  it,  in  order  to  be  killed.  It  wiU 
bve  weeks  at  this  season  without  food,  and  sev 
eral  lu-e  sometimes  found  in  the  hoUow  of  one 
tree,  lying  upon  each  other  nearly  in  a  torpid 

In  ancient  times  various  species   of  that 
beaufful  animal,   the  deer    abounded  in   aU 
parts  of  North  America.     The  Indians  of  New 
England  used  to  take  them  in  traps  as  well  as 
hunt  them.     Roger  WiUiams  says,—'  When  a 
Deere  is  caught  by  the  leg  in  a  Trap,  some- 
toes  there  it  lies  by  a  day  together  before  the 
Indian  comes,  and  so  falb  a  prey  to  the  ranging 
Wolfe,  who  seizeth  upon  him  and  robs  the  In- 
dian  of  neere  half  his  prey.     And  if  the  Indian 
come  not  the  sooner,  bee  makes  a  second  gree- 
die  Meele,  and  leaves  him  nothing  but  the  bones 
and  the  tome  Skin,  especially  if  he  call  some 
01  his  greedie  companions  to  his  bloodie  Ban- 
quet.' 

But  the  wolf  has  his  ev'd  day,  too.    For, 
'upon  this,  the  Indian  makes  a  falling  trap. 

*  Henry. 


100 


MOOSE-HUNTING. 


With  a  great  weight  of  stones,  and  sometimes 
Knocks  the  Wolfe  on  the  head  with  a  gaineful 
revenge,  especially  if  it   be  a   blacke  Wolfe, 
Whose  Skins  they  greatly  prize. '    Mr.  Williams 
tells  another  story  of  a  wolf  running  down  a 
deer,  till  he  at  length  tired  him  out  at  the  end 
of  ten  miles,  seized  upon  him,  and  killed  him. 
As  he  was  making  a  comfortable  meal  on  the 
poor  animal,  two  large  ferocious  English  swine 
which  were  running  loose  in  the  woods,  camj 
up.  ■■  They  boldly  assaulted  the  wolf,  and  fairly 
drove  him  from  the  field;  and  then  leisurely  re- 
ft-eshed  themselves  with   the  relics  of  the  sa- 
vory game  which  they  owed  to  his  industry  and 
science  in  banting. 

Of  all  the  .species  of  deer  which  belong  to 
this  continent,  the  Indian  hunters  consider  the 
moose  the  shyest,  and  most  difficult  to  take  or 
kill.     Their  sense  of  hearing  ar  ^  the  keenness 
01  their  smell  are  both  extraordinary;  and  these 
render  it  almost  impossible  to  approach  them 
under  ordinary  circumstances.     The   Indians 
attempt  it   by  creeping  among  the  trees  and 
bushes,  always  keeping  to  leeward  of  the  ani- 
imal,  so  as  to  give  him  no  advantage.     In  the 
most  violent  storm,  when  the  wind,  the  thun- 
der,  and  the  crash  of  falling  trees,  fill  the  forest 


MOOSa-HUWTlNO.  jgj 

r^t  J  buTth  *'  T ■■'  "^*  '"■^  '■-'  -  hand, 

S  hear "  t  *V'"'^'«''  '''^  «'»'''  *«  ">oose 
will  dear  It.    He  ceases  browsine   raiw,  k 

nostrils  and  snuffi  the  breeze,     vt  tScourt' 

of  an  hour    perhaps,  the  man  neiAer    ~ 

^^tire.^:XeV2:2-' 

n-ng  «  thia  manner  his  kool,  which  (5£w 
press  the  ground,  and  dose  together  as  ,hZ 

rhSt:l''^?"t^'-^'^^-^:? 

De  neard  at  a  considerable  distance.* 

JI!!!:;;^';^^';;^^^       to*  ten- 

16 


%^ 


182 


MOOSE-HUITTINO. 


der-footed  and  short-breathed,  the  hunter  is 
obliged  to  practise  all  his  ingenuity,  and  to  de- 
pend much  upon  favorable  accidents,  at  the 
best.  Sometimes  he  is  lucky  enough  to  find 
the  object  of  his  pursuit  entangled,  by  his  lofty 
and  branching  antlers,  in  the  thick  vines  or  un- 
derbrush of  the  woods.  Sometimes  they  are 
killed  in  the  act  of  crossing  a  stream,  or  in 
swimming  from  the  shore  to  an  island.  The 
traveller,  Hearne,  says,  that  when  pursued  in 
thife  manner,  they  are  the  most  inoffensive  of 
all  animals;  they  make  no  resistance,  and  the 
young  ones  are  so  simple,  that  an  Indian  will 
paddle  his  canoe  up  to  one  of  them,  and  take 
him  by  the  ears  without  opposition; — « the  poor 
harmless  animal,  seeming,  at  the  same  time,  as 
contented  alongside  the  canoe  as  if  swimming 
by  the  side  of  its  dam,  and  looking  up  into  our 
faces  with  the  same  fearless  innocence  that  a 
house-lamb  would.' 

The  same  writer  gives  some  instances  of 
their  being  entirely  tamed.  He  says,  that  in 
1777,  an  Indian  had  two  young  ones  so  tame, 
that  when,  on  his  passage  up  and  down  one  of 
the  northern  rivers  in  a  canoe,  they  both  fol- 
lowed him  along  the  bank  like  a  span  of  dogs. 
When  he  landed,  they  came  about  him,  and 


MOOSE-HUNTINO. 


183 


fondled  on  him  and  the  other  Indians  as  quietly 
as  a  lamb,  and  never  offered  to  stray  from  the 
camp. 

It  is  in  summer-time  that  the  moose  is  loolced 
tor  by  the  hunter  in  the  neighborhood  of  ponds 
and  streams.     They  resort  much  at  that  season 
to  low  and  swampy  grounds,  that,  in  wading 
through  them,  they  may  be  relieved  from  the 
annoyance  of  insects.     They  are  also  seen 
wadmg  out  from  the  shores,  for  the  purpose  of 
feeding  on  water-plants  which  rise  to  the  surface 
of  the  water.    The  hunter  knows  that  they  regu- 
lar^y  frequent  the  same  place  in  order  to  drink, 
and  he  avails  himself  of  that  circumstance  to  lie 
m  wait  and  despatch  them.     As  many  as  eight 
or  ten  pairs  of  horns  have   been  picked  up 
together  at  their  drmking-places.* 

But  even  when  the  moose  is  surprised  in  the 
water,— which  the  Indians  consider  a  great 
point  gained,_they  do  not  always  succeed  in 
overtaking  or  killing  him.  He  has,  or  at  least 
IS  thought  to  have,  the  power  of  remaining  un- 
der  water  for  a  long  time.  Tanner  teUs  a  story 
of  two  Indians,  (considered  honest  men  as  well 
as  good  Hunters,)  who,  on  one  occasion,  after 
a  long  day's  hunt,  came  hpme  with  the  following 

*  GodinaQ, 


184 


MOOSB-HUNTINO. 


Statement.     They  said  they  had  chased  a  moose 
nto  a  small  pond.     They  saw  him  reach  about 
the  middle   of  it,    and  he   then   disappeared. 
Choosing  positions  from  which  they  could  ob- 
serve every  point  in  the  circumference  of  the 
pond,  they  began  smoking,  and  so  waited  pa- 
tiendy  until  near  evening.     During  all  this  time 
they  could   perceive  no  motion  of  the  water, 
nor  any  thing  else  which  indicated  the  situation 
of  the  moose.     Discouraged  at  length,   they 
abandoned  the  hope  of  taking  him,  and  returned 
Homeward.     Presently  after  came  along  a  soli- 
tary hunter,  with  a  load  of  game  on  his  shoulders. 
He  reported,  that  having  followed  the  track  of 
a  moose  for  some  distance,  he  finally  traced  it 
to  the  pond  above  mentioned;  but  having  also 
observed  the  tracks  of  two  men,  made  at  die 
same  time  with  those  of  the  animal,  he  conclud- 
ed that  they  must  have  killed  it.     Nevertheless, 
approaching  very  cautiously  to  the  margin  of  the 
pond,  he  sat  down  to  rest.     Presently,  he  saw 
the  moose  rise  slowly  in  the  centre  of  the  pond, 
which  was  not   very  deep,  and  wade  towards 
the  shore  where  he  was  sitting;  when  he  came 
sufficiently  near,  he  shot  him  in  the  water.— No 
doubt  the  animal  in  this  case  found  some  means 
of  breathing  at  tiie  surface  of  the  water. 


M008B-HUNTINO, 


185 


During  the  winter  the  moose,  in  families  of 
fifteen  or  twenty,  seek  the  depths  of  the  foresi 
for  shelter  and  food.  Such  a  herd  will  range 
throughout  an  extent  of  about  five  hundred  acres 
browsing  upon  tree-mosses,  or  the  tender 
branches  of  saplings,  especially  of  the  kind  call- 
ed  moose-wood.  The  Indians  name  a  part  of 
the  forest  thus  occupied  a  moose-yard. 

In  some    latitudes,  this  animal  is  generally 
hunted  m  the  month  of  March.     The  snow  is 
then  deep,  and  sufficiently  crusted  with  ice  to 
bear  the  weight  of  a  dog,  although  not  that  of  a 
heavier  animal.     Five  or  six  hMnters,  carrying 
with  them  food  for  as  many  days,  and  the  neces- 
sary materials  for  setting  up  a  camp  at  night-fall, 
set  out  m  search  of  a  moose-yard.     When  they 
have  discovered  one,  they  collect  their  dogs, 
and  encamp  for  the  night,  in  order  to  be  ready 
to  commence  the  chase  at  an  early  hour,  before 
the  sun  softens  the  crust  upon  the  snow.     At 
day-break  the  dogs  are  set  on,  and  the  hunters, 
wearing  large  snow-shoes,  following  as  closely 
as  possible.     As  soon  as  the  dogs  approach  a 
moose,  they  assail  him  on  all  sides,  and  force 
hira  to  attempt  his  escape  by  flight.     He  does 
not,   however,  proceed   very  far,    before   the 
snow^rust,  through  which  he  breaks  at  every 

16* 


7 


186 


M008K-HUNTINO. 


I  J! 

1 


Step,  cuts  his  legs  so  severely,  that  the  poor 
animal  is  obliged  to  give  up  the  hope  of  avoid** 
.ng  his  pursuers.  He  stands  at  bay,  flourishes 
nis  hend  furiously,  and  endearvors  to  defend 
nimself  against  the  dogs  by  striking  at  them  with 
nis  fore  feet.  By  this  time  the  hunters  come 
up,  and  a  ball  from  a  rifle  puts  a  speedy  end  to 
the  contest.* 

Moose  are  occasionally  taken  in  this  manner, 
at  the  present  day,  by  the  Penobscots  and  other 
Indians  as  far  south  as  the  central  sections  of 
the  State  of  Maine.     They  were  once  numer- 
ous throughout  New  England.     In  Nova  Scotia, 
the  Isle  of  Breton,  the  territory  round  Hudson's 
Day,  and  other  tracts  in  the  same  latitude,  they 
are  still  found  in  considerable  numbers.     The 
flesh  of  the  animal  is  excellent  food,  and  the 
tongue  and  a  certain  part  of  the  nose  are  ac- 
counted a  rare  treat.     The  flavor  is  doubtless 
owing  partly  to  the  food  of  the  moose,  which 
consists  mostly  of  buds,  mosses,  aquatic  plants, 
and  tender  leaves  and  twigs.     The  horns,  which 
are  sometimes  nearly  three  feet  in  length,!  and 
of  the  weight  of  fifty  pounds,  are  wrought  into 
spoons,  scoops,  heads  for  weapons  of  war,  and 
other  implements  of  common  use.     The  skin  is 
•  Qodman  and  Charlevoix.  f  S««  Frontiapieca,  Vol.  IL 


nElN-DEER-HUNTlNG. 


187 


used  for  clothing  and  tent-covers,  ft  is  prepar- 
ed,  like  the  skin  of  the  common  deer,  which  is 
still  more  valuable,  by  stripping  off  first  the 
hair  and  fleshy  matter,  and  then  rubbing  it  for 
a  long  time  with  a  lather  made  of  the  brains  of 
the  animal,  until  it  becomes  soft,  spongy  and 
flexible.  Those  of  the  white  people  who  wear 
gloves,  know,  quite  as  well  as  the  Indians,  the 
value  of  this  useful  preparation. 


The  North  American  Indians  have  never 
profited  by  the  docility  of  the  rein-deer,  (in 
Canada  and  Maine  called  the  Caribou,)  as  the 
Laplanders  and  other  northern  nations  have,  to 
aid  them  as  a  beast  of  burden— the  deer-sledge 
being  a  thing  unknown  upon  our  continent. 


^ir^ii 


1 


'  !'\-* 


u 


«f^» 


188 


REIN-DEER-HUNTING. 


They,  however,  hunt  the  animal  to  a\oiy  con- 
siderable extent,  in  the  higher  latitudes  of  Brit- 
ish America,  as  well  for  its  flesh  as  its  hide«nd 
horns.  Its  ordinary  weight  is  about  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  pounds;  and  as  a  herd,  migrating 
northward  or  southward  at  the  different  seasons, 
sometimes  numbers  more  than  one  thousand, 
the  pursuit  of  them  is  an  object  of  more  than 
usual  importance. 

The  hunter  is,  in  the  first  place,  familiar  with 
their  seasons   of  travelling.     He   knows   that 
their  great  movement  northward  commonly  be- 
gins towards  the  end  of  April,  when  the  snow 
first  melts  from  the  sides  of  the  hl!ls;  and  that 
they  are  found  on  the  bank  of  the  great  Copper- 
Mine  River,  for  instance,  early  in  May,  when 
a  good  deal  of  the  ground  is  clear   of  snow. 
They  linger  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  sea 
coast  through  the  summer,  sometimes  as  late  as 
October,  and  then  commance  a  return-joumey 
for  their  winter  retreats  in  the  southern  woods. 
The  Indians  have  also  remarked,  that  there  are 
certain  places  which  they  invariably  visit  in  the 
course  of  these  migrations  to  and  from  the  coast; 
as  also  that  tliey  never  fail  to  travel  against  the 
wind. 

Mr.  Heame  furnishes  the  followinjr  nnnoimf 


IS 


5iy  cou- 
of  Brit- 
lide  «nd 
ne  hun- 
ligrating 
jeasons, 
ousand, 
re  than 

iar  with 
vs  that 
nly  be- 
B  snow 
nd  that 
'Opper- 
,  when 
snow, 
he  sea 
late  as 
oumey 
voods» 
ire  are 
in  the 
coast; 
)st  the 


REIN-DBER-HUNTINO. 


189 


Of  the  modes  of  surprising  this  cunning  animal 
whjch  are  adopted  by  the  Indian  hunters  of  the 
higher  latitudes. 

*  When  they  design  to  impound  a  deer,'  he 
says    <  they  look  out  for  one  of  the  paths  in 
which  a  number  of  them  have  trod,  and  which 
^observed   to   be  still  frequented   by  them, 
^hen  these  paths  cross  a  lake,  a  wide  river,  or 
.  a  barren  plain,  they  are  found  to  be  much  the 
best  for   the  purpose;   and   if  the   path   run 
through  a  cluster  of  woods,  capable  of  a/Fording 
materials  for  building  the  pound,  it  adds  consid- 
erably  to  the  commodiousness  of  the  situation. 
The  pound  is  built  by  making  a  strong  fence 
ot  brushy  trees,  without  observing  any  degree 
of  regularity,  and  the  work  is  continued  to  any 
extent,  according  to  the  pleasure  of  the  builders. 
1  have  seen  some  that  were  not  less   than  a 
mile   round,   and  am  informed  that   there  are 
others   still   more   extensive.      The   door   or 
entrance  of  the   pound   is  not  larger  than   a 
common  gate,  and  the  inside  is   so   crowded 
with  small  counter  hedges  as  veiy  much  to  fe- 
semble  a  maze,  in  every  opening  of  which  they 
set   a  snare  made  with   thongs  of  parchment, 
deer-skms,    &c.    twistpH   tncr«tKo..     ,„u:^u  _.-. 
amazingly  strong.     One  end  of  the  snare  is 


til 


190 


REIN-DEER-BUNTINO. 


usually  made  fast  to  a  growing  pole;  but  if  no 
one  of  sufficient  size  can  be  found  near  the 
place  where  the  snare  is  set,  a  loose  pole  is 
substituted,  which  is  always  of  such  size  and 
length,  that  a  deer  cannot  drag  it  far  before  it 
gets  entangled  among  the  other  woods,  which 
are  all  left  standing,  except  what  is  found 
necessary  for  making  the  fence,  hedges,  &c. 

*  The  pound  being  thus  prepared,  a  row  of 
small  brushwood  is  stuck  up  in  the  snow  on 
each   side   the   door  or   entrance,    and  these 
hedge-rows  are  continued  along  the  open  part 
of  the  lake,  river  or  plain,  where  neither  stick 
nor  stump  besides  is  to  be  seen.     These  poles 
or  brushwood  are  generally  placed  at  the  dis- 
tance  of  fifteen  or  twenty  yards    from   each 
other,  and  ranged  in  such  a  manner  as  to  form 
two  sides  of  a  long  acute  angle,  growing  grad- 
ually wider  in  proportion  to  the  dimensions  of 
the  pound,  which  is  sometimes  not  less  than 
two   or   three   miles,    while   the   deer-path  is 
exactly  along  the  middle,  between  the  two  row^s 
of  brushwood. 

« Indians  employed  on  this  service  always 
pitch  their  tent  on  or  near  to  an  eminence  that 
affords   a   commanding   prospect  of  the  path 

any 


leadins^  tn  n  r»/Mir.ri.  «»,^  ~.i —  

Q  —  ^  j^vvtiiu,  awu  wiitfii  luey 


\A»       nrtA        <r..l. ^1- 


see 


REirr-DEER-HUNTmo.  jg^ 

deer  going  that  way,  men,  women  and  children, 
«^k  along  the  lake  or  river-side,  under  cove 
of  the  woods,  unta  they  get  hehind  them,  then 
«ep  forth  to  open  view,  and  proceed  towards 
the  pound  m  the  form  of  a  crescent.     Ihe 
poor  timoroiB   deer,  finding  themselves   pur- 
sued,  and  at  the  same  time  taking  the  two  row, 
of  bushy  poles  to  be  two  ranks  of  people  sta- 
toned  to  prevent  their  passing  on  either  side, 
fun  stta,ght  forward  in  the  path  till  they  J 
.nto  the  pound.     The  Indians  then  close  in, 
and  block  up  the  entrance  with  some  brushy 
^ees  that  have  been  cut  down  and  lie  at  band 
for  Aat  purpose.     The  deer  being  thus  en- 
closed, the  women  and  children  walk  round  tlie 
pound  to  prevent  them  from  jumping  over  the 
fence,  while  the  men  are  employed  in  spearing 
such  as  are  entangled  in  the  snares,  and  shoot- 
>ng  wuh  bows  and  arrows  those  which  remain 
loose  m  the  pound.' 

Captain  Franklin,  i„  his  '  Narrative  of  a 
Journey  to  the  shore  of  the  Polar  Sea,'  relates, 
in  addition  to  these  particulars,  that  the  herds 
of  deer  are  attended  in  their  migrations  by  bands 
of  wolves,  which  destroy  a  great  many  of  them. 
The  Copper  Indians  kill  the  deer  in  summ«. 
wito  a  gun;  or  else,  taking  advantage  of  a  favor" 


s*  <■ 


Il 


192 


BEIN-DEER-HUNTinO. 


able  disposition  of  the  ground,  they  enclose  a 
herd  upon  a  neck  of  land,  and  drive  them  into 
a  lake,  where  they  fall  an  easy  prey.  At  some 
seasons  they  take  them  with  snares,  which  are 
simple  nooses  formed  in  a  rope  made  of  twisted 
sinew.  These  are  placed  in  the  aperture  of  a 
slight  hedge,  constructed  of  the  branches  of 
trees, — and  so  composed  as  to  form  several 
winding  compartments,  in  which  the  deer,  once 
entered,  finds  himself  confined.  He  is  led  into 
the  entrance  by  two  converging  rows  of  poles. 
The  hunter,  too,  lying  in  ambush,  stabs  some 
of  them,  and  shoots  others  as  they  pass  in;  and 
in  the  end,  not  unfrequently  secures  them  all  in 
his  enclosure.  The  Copper  Indians  find  that  a 
white  dress  attracts  them,  most  readily;  and, 
they  often  succeed  in  bringing  them  within  gun- 
shot  by  kneeling  and  swinging  the  gun  from 
side  to  side,  in  imitation  of  the  motions  of  a 
deer's  horns  when  he  is  in  the  act  of  rubbing 
his  head  against  a  stone. 

The  Dog-Rib  tribe  have  a  still  simpler  mode 
of  killing  this  animal.  The  hunters  go  in  pairs, 
— ^the  foremost  man  carrying  in  one  hand  the 
skin  of  a  deer's  head,  and  in  the  other  a  small 
bundle  of  twigs,  against  which  he  occasionally 
rubs  the  bonis,  imitating  the  gestures  peculiar 


■ 


REIN-OSER-HUNTINO. 


193 


to  ihe  animal.     His  comrade  follows,  treading 
exactly  m  his  footsteps,  and  holding  the  guns 
of  both  m  a  horizontal  position,  so  that  the 
muzzles  project  under  the  arms  of  him  who 
carries  the  head.    Both  hunters   have  a  fillet 
of  white  skin  round  their  foreheads,   and  the 
foremost  has   a  strip  of  the  same  kind  round 
his  wrists.     They  approach  the  herd  by  de- 
grees,—raising  their  legs  very  slowly,  but  set- 
ting them    down  rather   suddenly,   after    the 
manner  of  a  deer;  and  the  two  always  taking 
care  to  lift  their  right  or  left  feet  at  the  same 
moment.     If  any  of  the  herd  leave  off  feeding 
10  gaze  at  them,  they  instantly  stop,  and  the 
disguised  head  begins  to  play  its  part  by  licking 
its  shoulders,  and  performing  other  movements 
proper  to  complete  the  deception.     Thus  the 
hunters  reach  the  very  centre  of  the  herd  without 
exciting  suspicion.     Here  they  have  an  oppor- 
tunity  to  single  out  the  fattest.     The  hindmost 
man  of  the  pair  then  pushes  forward  his  com- 
rade's gun;  the  head  is  dropped;  and  they  both 
fire  nearly  at   the   same   instant.     The   herd 
scampers  off;  the  hunters  trot  after  them;  in  a 
short  time  the  p. ,  •  animals  halt,  to  ascertain 
the  cause  of  their  error;  their  foes  stop  also, 
and  having  akeady  loaded  as  they  ran,  meet 

17 


I 


i 


ii 


194 


tLK-HUNTING. 


the  herd  with  a  second  discharge.  The  deer/ 
completely  staggered,  now  push  to  and  fro  in 
the  utmost  confusion,  and  sometimes  a  great 
Dart  of  them  are  thus  destroyed  in  the  space 
of  a  few  hundred  yards.* 

The  elk  is  a  highly  valued  species   of  the 
deer,  still  occasionally  seen  so  near  the  Atlan- 


tic coast  as  the  settled  sections  of  Pennsylvania. 
But  the  number  is  small  there;  and  it  is  only  in 
the  wilds  of  the  West  and  North- West,  to  about 
the  50th  degree  of  north  latitude,  that  consid- 
erable herds  are  found.  The  great  forests  are 
their  favorite  haunts,  where  are  plenty  of  buds 
and  tender  twigs;   or  those  wide  prairies  and 

*  Franklia^s  Narrative. 


ELK-HUNTING. 


195 


plains,  where  man  is  seldom  met  with,  but  na- 
^re  is  bountiful  in  her  supplies  of  verdant  food. 
ihe  hide  is  used  by  the  Indians  for  a  great  va- 
nety  of  domestic   articles.     The  flesh  is  ex- 
cellent food;  even  the  horns,  in  their  soft  state, 
early  in  spring,  are  esteemed  a  delicacy;  while 
the  harder  portions  are  made  into  bows  of  the 
best  kind.     Several  such   weapons  are  to  be 
seen  in  the  coUection  of  Indian  implements  be- 
longing to  the  Philadelphia  Museum. 

The   elk  is  a  large,  stately  animal.      The 
towering  antlers  of  the  male  are  several  feet  in 
length.     The  head  is  beautifully  formed,  taper- 
ing to  a  narrow  point;  the  ears  large,  and  rapid- 
ly moveable;  the  eyes  full  and  dark;  the  body 
finely  proportioned;  the  limbs  small  and  delicate, 
but  strong   and  agile;    the   neck   slender  and 
graceful.     The  animal  is  both  shy  and  swift. 
The  moment  he  perceives  the  approach  of  the 
hunter,  he  ceases  to  feed;  his  head  is  erected; 
his  ears   move   rapidly  in   various    directions, 
and  his  eye  glistens  and  rolls.     At  length  he 
catches  a  glimpse  of  his  wary  enemy,  lurking 
among  the  bushes  at  a  distance.     He  bounds 
along,  a  (ew  paces  only,  as  if  trying  his  strength 
^-  flight.     He  stops  to  turn  half  round,  and 
5  agaia  at  his  pursuer.     Then  throwing  back 


for 


'.       rifi- 


196 


BLK-HUNTING. 


m 


II 


his  branching  horns  upon  his  neck,  and  project- 
ing his  taper  nose  forward,  he  springs  onward 
at  a  rate  which  soon  leaves  the  hunter  far  in  the 
back-ground. 

And  yet  the  Indians  will  even  run  down  an 
elk.  Not  only  does  Charlevoix  state  this  facf 
of  the  Canadian  tribes,  but  Tanner  and  otherr 
say  the  same  of  the  modern  tribes  of  the  West 
On  one  occasion,  in  the  commencement  of 
winter,  when  the  snow  was  yet  but  a  foot  deep 
in  the  woods,  Tanner  says, — '  We  found  a 
herd  of  elks,  and  chasing  them  one  day.,  over^ 
took  and  killed  four  of  them.^  It  seems  that 
the  elks,  being  frightened,  outstrip  the  hunter? 
at  first  by  many  miles;  but  the  latter,  following 
at  a  steady  pace  along  their  path,  at  length 
come  in  sight  of  them.  They  then  make  a 
fresh  effort,  and  are  no  more  seen  for  an  hour 
or  two.  But  the  intervals  at  which  the  Indians 
have  them  in  sight,  grow  more  and  more  fre- 
quent, and  longer  and  longer,  until  they  finally 
cease  to  lose  sight  of  them  at  all.  The  elks 
are  now  so  much  fatigued,  that  they  can  only 
move  in  a  slow  trot.  At  last  they  can  but 
walk.  By  this  time  the  strength  of  the  Indians 
is  indeed  somewhat  exhausted,  but  they  are 
commonly  able  to  come  up,  and  fire  into  the 


BLK-HUNTmO. 


197 


rear  of  the  herd.    The  discharge  of  a  gun 
quickens  their  motions  once  more,  and  it  is 
only  a  very  active  and  resolute  hunter  who  wiU 
come  up  after  this,  so  as  to  do  execution,  un- 
less the  snow  is  quite  deep.     If  that  be  the 
case,  the  game  is  more  easily  taken,  for  the  elk 
does  not  hft  his  feet  well  from  the  ground  in 
ninmng.     Tanner  states,  that  there  are  some 
men  among  the  tribes,  though  not  many,  who 
can  run  down  the  elk  even  on  a  smooth  prairie, 
when  there  is  neither  snow  nor  ice. 

In  a  closer  contest,  there  is  sometimes  dan- 
ger to  be  apprehended  from  the  fury  of  this 
animal,  when  wounded.     Some  of  our  western 
travellers  mention  a  herd  of  twenty  or  thirty- 
elk  being  seen  at  no  great  distance  from  their 
party,  standing  in  the  water,  or  lying  upon  the 
sand-beach  near  it.     One  of  the  finest  bucks 
(males)  was  singled  out  by  a  hunter,  who  fired 
upon  hrm.     The  whole  herd  plunged  into  the 
thicket,  and  disappeared.     Confident  that  the 
shot  had  been  fatal,  several  of  the  party  pursued 
them  into  the   woods.     The  wounded  animal 
was  soon   overtaken.      Finding  his  pursuers 
close  upon  him,  he  turned  furiously  upon  the 
foremost,  who  saved  himself  only  by  springing 
into  a  thicket.    This  was  impassable  to  the 

17* 


198 


ELK-BUnTINO. 


elk;  and  the  violent  efforts  of  the  animal  had 
no  effect  but  to  entangle  his  branching  horns 
among  the  tough  thick  vines,  where  he  was 
held  fast  and  blindfolded  until  the  hunters  wcra 
able  to  despatch  him  with  knives  and  bullets,* 

^— — — —    ■—     ■  .1    ■■■■    I...    ■     -.1  I  ■■■  .1      .11        .    ,j 

*Long*8  Expedition  to  the  Rocky  Mountains. 


DEER-HUNTING. 


199 


CHAPTER  X. 

Anecdotes  of  Hunting,  continued-Modes  of  hunting  the 
common,  or  Indian  deer~U.es  of  tl.e  animal  to  the  Indians 
--F.re-liunt.ng-Tl.e  bison  or  buffkloe-Its  uses-Modes  of 
hunting  it-Supeistitions  of  the  Indians  in  relation  to  hunt- 

•ing  in  general-Use  of  charms-Medicine-hunting-Hunt- 
ing-feasts.  ^ 

There  is  still  another  species  of  the  Ameri- 
-can  deer,  not  yet  mentioned,  but  the  most  ex- 
tensively spread   over   the  continent,  and  the 


most  commonly  hunted,  of  all.  This  is  the 
*  common  deer,'  so  called;  and  otherwise  term, 
ed  the  fallow,  the  Virginian,  and  the  Indian 
<feer.     It  IS  found  throughout  the  country  from 


P 


i        'I 


1 

1   , 


£00 


PEER-HUNTINO. 


i  I 


Canada  in  the  North,  to  the  hanks  of  the 
Orinoco  River  in  South  America.  It  is  the 
smallest  and  slenderest  of  the  deer-kind,  the 
weight  being  about  one  hundred  pounds.  The 
horns  are  not  so  stout  or  long  as  those  of  the 
other  species. 

The  common  deer  has  always  been  of  great 
value  to  the  Indian  tribes.  The  flesh  is  a1  v  ys 
used  as  food;  and  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  it  is 
very  palatable.  The  hunter  of  course  feeds  on  it 
at  all  seasons;  nor  is  he  often  delicate  in  select- 
ing particular  parts  of  the  animal  for  his  suste- 
nance, as  is  the  case  with  the  whites.  On  the 
contrary,  he  perhaps  begins  by  applying  his 
mouth  to  the  gushing  wound,  in  order  to  refresh 
himself,  after  his  long  chase,  with  a  supply  of 
warm  blood.  If  he  should  feel  as  much  hun- 
ger as  he  does  thirst,  he  cuts  a  hole  in  the  ani- 
mal's beating  side,  thrusts  his  hand  in,  and 
tears  out  the  kidneys,  which  are  instantly  de- 
voured, though  still  quiverinsr  with  life.  Even 
the  stomach  of  the  animal  i  i  avorite  dish, 
especially  among  those  Ncxihem  tribes,  where 
the  deer  feeds  on  mosses  and  birds;  and  they 
eat  this  substance  without  the  least  preparation 
by  way  of  cookery.  Those  white  men  who 
kive  had  occasion  in  their  travels  to  taste  this 


COMMON-DEER-HUNTINQ. 


201 


kind  of  savige  food,  do  not  consider  it  so 
disagreeable  as  might  be  supposed.*  The 
steaks  are,  however,  in  much  better  repute. 
*Mr.  Dunn  and  myself,'  says  a  modern  Jour- 
nalist, *made  our  breakfast  on  a  choice  slice,  cut 
(raw)  from  the  spine,  and  found  it  so  good,  that 
at  dinner-time  we  preferred  the  same  food  to 
our  preserved  meat.  The  wind^pipe  is  exceed- 
inglygood.'f 

The  sight  of  the  common  deer  is  not  particu- 
larly keen;  but  his  hearing  and  smelling  are  so, 
and  therefore  the  hunter  always  approaches  him 
against  the  wind.     Herds,  in  various  numbers, 
resort  to  the  forests  and  plains  near  rivers  and 
lakes.    They  are  led  by  one  of  the  largest  bucks, 
acting  the  part  of  protector  and  pilot.     If  any 
thing  occurs  to  check  the  progress  of  the  herd, 
he  stops  short,  stamps  with  his  feet,  and  snorts 
loudly.     If  he  stands  fast,  the  rest  of  the  com- 
pany take  courage,  and  hold  together.     If  he 
gives  way,  they  all  follow  after  him  at  fuU  speed. 
In  many  parts  of  the  Western   States  and 
Territories,  the  salines,  or  licks,  (as  the  salt- 
springs  are  called,)  are  a  favorite  haunt  of  the 
deer,-— owing  to  their  fondness  for  salt.     The 
hunterjs^ojamiliar^  habits  as  to  trace 

•  Lyon's  Narrative.    Also  HeariiTiiSG^Sii^;;:       fl^. 


S.02 


COMMON-DEER-HUNTING. 


them  with  ease  to  these  places,  and  often  to 
surprise  them  on  the  spot. 

When  slightly  wounded,  they  are  able  to  in- 
AT^t  severe  blows  by  leaping  forward  and  strik- 
ing with  the  edges  of  their  hoofs  held  together. 
If  the  hunter  fails  on  the  ground  in  attempting 
to  despatch  the  animal  with  his  knife,  he  is  in 
great  danger  of  being  killed. 

There  is  a  method  of  surprising  the  deer, 
practised  by  the  Indians  on  the  Northern  Lakes 
under  the  name  of  fire-hunting.  A  party  of 
Indians,  in  canoes,  go  out  >ome  distance  upon 
the  water,  in  the  evening.  In  the  bow  of  each 
boat  is  placed  a  brilliant  torch-light,  made  of 
wax  separated  from  wild  honey,  and  poured 
into  the  hollow  stem  of  a  kind  of  cane, — a  strip 
of  cotton-cloth  serving  the  purpose  of  a  wick. 
Two  or  three  of  these  canes  together  form  a 
dazzling  and  beautiful  light.  The  simple  deer, 
seeking  the  waters:  edge  to  allay  his  thirst,  and 
to  eat  his  favorite  moss,  gazes  at  the  moving 
splendor,  until  it  gradually  approaches  within 
shooting-distance,  when  he  soon  pays  the  for- 
feit of  his  unwary  curiosity.* 

There  are  numerous  animals,  not  yet  named, 

such  as  the  wolf,  fox,  and  wild-cat,  which  are 

• ■ — . — . 

*  Schoolcraft, 


BUFPALO-HUNTINO. 


203 


frequently  met  w«h,  and  killed  or  trapped,  by 
the  Indians;  but  these  are  not  generally  «ade 
the  express  object  of  a  hunt,  and  no  p^tiTute 
system,  therefore,  is  adopted  in  regard'to  thet! 
But  there  .s  one  powerful  and  well  known  ani- 
mal,  without  some  description  of  which  no  ac 
count  of  Indian  sports  or  occupations  could  be 
considered  any  thing  like  complete. 

The  bison  or  buffalo,*   i,  too  well  known 
throughout  a  large  part  of  the  North  American 
continent,   not   to  be  familiarly  distinguished 
from  all  other  animals,  by  his  long,  shaggy, 
coarse  beard  descending  to  tlie  knee,  and  cS 
ly  curled  and  matted  over  the  forehead;  his  un- 
commonly  tiiick  neck,  and  large  and  ponderous 
head,  the  oblong  hump  on  the  shoulders,  dimin- 
jshmg  m  height  as  it  recedes;  the  very  thick, 
black,  tapering  horns;  and  the  small,  dark  and 
bri  hant  eye.     In  general,  the  frame  of  the  ani- 
raal  may  be  called  huge  and  shapeless.     His 
gait  IS  awkward  and  heavy,  although  his  great 
strength  enables  him  to  run  with  considerable 
speed  over  plains  in  summer,  and  in  winter  to 
plunge  expeditiously  through  the  snow.    Tanner 
states  that  the  buffalo  is  swifter  than  the  elk. 
_The3km,  fur  and  hideofthis  animal,  as  well 

*  See  FrontiepieceT"      """^  - 


'M 


204 


BUFFALO-HUNTING. 


as  his  flesh,  make  him  an  object  of  pursuit  by 
all  the  savage  tribes  who  live  in  those  regions 
where  he  is  found.  This  includes  a  vast  tract 
of  western  wilderness,  reaching,  in  some  points^ 
as  fa  •  north  as  the  60th  degree  of  latitude,  south 
nearly  to  the  latitude  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico> 
and  west  to  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

The  flesh  is  coarser  than  that  of  the  domes- 
tic ox,  but  in  other  respects  not  much  inferior. 
The  hump  is  famed  for  its  delicacy  and  sweet- 
ness. The  Indians  cut  out  this  part  separately 
for  a  meal.  Wrapping  it  up  closely  in  skin 
stripped  of  its  fur,  they  place  it  in  a  hole  dug 
in  the  earth  for  its  reception,  which  has  been 
heated  by  a  strong  fire  in  and  over  it  for  several 
hours  previous.  It  is  covered  with  cinders  and 
earth  about  a  foot  deep,  and  a  strong  fire  made 
over  it;  and  by  the  fallowing  day  it  is  fit  for 
use.  The  tongues  and  marrow-bones  are  also 
esteemed  delicacies , 

The  flesh  is  often  preserved  a  long  time  by 
being  cut  into  thin  slices,  and  dried  in  the  open 
air,  which  in  the  North- West  is  called  by  white 
people  jerking.  Pemmican  is  this  dried  flesh, 
pounded  into  powder,  cleaned,  and  melted 
down  with  about  one  third  of  its  weight  of  the 
bufialo  taUow. 


BUFFALO-HDNTIWG. 


305 


The  difficulty  of  hunting  these  animals,  in- 

dependemly  of  their  speed  and  ferocity,  may 

be  estimated  by  an  anecdote  of  their  extreme 

keenness  of  smell.     It  is  related,  in  the  Ex! 

pedition  of  Long,  that  on  one  occasion  «hen 

the  exploring  party  were  riding  through  a  drearv 

country,  enlivened  only  by  v°ast  Jdtudes^ 

stragghng  buffaloes,  as  the  wind  was  blowing 

fK.m  the  south,  the  scent  of  the  party  was  waft! 

toough  a  distance  of  eight  or  ten  miles  its  pro- 
gress could  be  distinctly  traced  by  the  conster^ 
nation  It  produced  among  the  herds  in  all  quar- 
ters^   The  moment  the  tainted  breeze  reache* 
them,_so  shy  were  they  of  strangers,-they 
began  running  as  violently  as  if  closely  pursued 
by  mounted  hunters.     This  singular  sc'ene  c  n- 
tinued  for  the  space  of  some  hours. 

These  immense  herds,  sometimes  five  and 
even  ten  thousand  together,  wander  over  the 

wide  plains  of  the  West,  in  search  of  food' 
usually  led  on,  like  the  deer,  by  a  male  of  ex- 
traordinary size  and  courage.  While  feeding, 
Jey  are  scattered  loosely  to  a  great  distance 
when  travelling,  they  form  an  immense  solid 
column,  bearing  down  all  obstacles  in  its  wav 
-^^  x.vGa  uhccks  ifle  march;  they  plunge  through 

18 


■f " 


!i,  ■,  - 


f 


s 


206 


BUPFALO-HUNTINO. 


it  in  the  same  order  with  which  they  traverse 
the  plains. 

It  is  evident,  that  in  case  of  a  procession  of 
this  kind,  pursued  by  the  hunters,  it  would  be 
in  vain  for  the  foreinost  to  attempt  turning  back, 
or  even  moving  aside  from  a  nearly  straight  line 
of  advance.  Of  this  circumstance  the  Indians 
cunningly  avail  themselves,  in  such  a  manner  as 
sometimes  to  force  an  entire  herd  over  the 
brink  of  a  precipice,  upon  a  rocky  surface  some 
hundred  feet  below. 

When  they  determine  to  destroy  bison  in  this 
way, — which  is  not  very  frequently, — one  of 
their  swiftest-footed  and  most  active  young  men 
is  selected,  who  is  disguised  in  a  bison  skin, 
having  the  head,  ears,  and  horns  adjusted  on 
his  own  head,  so  as  to  make  the  deception  very 
complete;  and  thus  accoutred,  he  stations  him- 
self between  the  bison  herd  and  some  of  the 
precipices,  that  often  extend  for  several  miles 
along  the  rivers.  The  Indians  surround  the 
herd  as  nearly  as  possible,  when,  at  a  given 
signal,  they  show  themselves  and  rush  forward 
with  loud  yells.  The  animals  being  alarmed, 
and  seeing  no  way  open  but  in  the  direction  of 
the  disguised  Indian,  run  towards  him,  and  he, 
taking  to   flight,  dashes   on  to  the   precipice, 


BUFFALO-HUNTING. 


207 


Tvhere  he  suddenly  secures  himself  in  some 
previously  ascertained  crevice.  The  leaders 
of  the  herd  arrive  at  the  brink—there  is  no 
possibility  of  retreat,  no  chance  of  escape;  the 
foremost  may  for  an  instant  shrink  with  terror, 
but  the  crowd  behind,  who  are  terrified  by  the 
approaching  hunters,  rush  forward,  and  the  ag- 
gregated force  hurls  them  successively  into  the 
gulf,  where  certain  death  awaits  them.* 

For  a  considerable  time  after  an  event  like 
this,  the  wolves  and  vultures  feast  and  fatten  on 
tlie  decaying  remains,  to  such  a  degree  of  stu- 
pid  tameness,  as  to  suffer  themselves  to  be  knock- 
ed down  by  the  Indians,  with  sticks,  in  the  act 
of  eating. 

Much  the  more  common,  and  better  way  of 
killing  bison,  is  to  attack  them  on  horseback. 
The  Indians,  mounted,  and  well  armed  with  bows 
and  arrows,  encircle  the  herd,  and  gradually 
drive  them  into  a  situation  favorable  to  the  em- 
ployment of  the  horse.  They  then  ride  in  and 
single  out  one,  generally  a  female,  and  following 
her  as  closely  as  possible,  wound  her  with  ar- 
rows until  tlie  mortal  blow  is  given,  when  they 
go  in  pursuit  of  others  until  their  quivers  are 
exhausted. 


(.:i* 


Godman.    see  Frontispiece  Vol.  II. 


208 


BUPPALO-HUNTING. 


Tanner  gives  an  animated  sketch  of  an  en- 
gagement between  an  Indian  party  to  which  he 
belonged,   and  an  immense  herd  of  buffaloes. 
They  were  so  numerous  and  so  noisy,  that  when 
the  party  lay  down  on  the  ground  to  sleep,  the 
night   before   finding  them,    they   heard  their 
trampling,  roaring,  and  butting  of  horns   at  a 
distance,   as   they   supposed,    of  near  twenty 
miles.    Starting  early  in  the  morning,  they  rode 
sofne  hours  before  coming  in  sight  of    them. 
At  the  distance  of  ten   miles,    they  appeared 
like  a  black  line  drawn  along  the  edge  of  the 
sky,  or  a  low  shore  seen  across  a  lake.     The 
hunters  very  courageously  rode  directly  towards 
the  herd. 

<As  we  came,'  says  Tanner,  <we  killed  a 
wounded  bull,  which  scarce  made  an  effort  to 
escape  from  us.     He  had  wounds  in  his  flanks, 
into  which  I  could  put  my  whole  hand.     As 
we  knew  that  the  flesh  of  the  bulls  was  not 
now  good  to  eat,  we  did  not  wish  to  kill  them, 
though  we  might  easily  have  shot  any  number. 
Dismounting,  we  put  our  horses  in  the  care  of 
Some  of  our  number,  who  were  willing  to  stay 
back  for  that  purpose,  and  then  crept  into  the 
herd  to  try  to  kill  some  cows.     I  had  separated 
from  the  others,  and  advancing,  got  entangled 


BUFFALO-HUNTING. 


209 


among  the  bulls.     Before  I  found  an  oppor- 
tunity  to  shoot  a  cow,  the  bulls  began  to  fight 
very  near  me.     In  their  fury  they  were  totally 
unconscious  of  my  presence,  and  came  rushing 
towards  me  with  such  violence,  that,  in  some 
alarm  for  my  safety,  I  took  refuge  in  one  of 
those  holes  which  are  so  frequent  where  these 
animals  abound,  and  which  they  themselves  dig 
to  wallow  in.     Here  I  found  that  they  were 
pressmg  directly  upon  me,  and  I  was  compeUed 
to  fire  to  disperse  them,  in  which  I  did  not 
succeed  until  I  had  killed  four  of  them.     By 
this  firing  the  cows  were  so  frightened  that  I 
perceived  I  should  not  be  able  to  kill  any  in 
this  quarter;  so  regaining  my  horse,  I  rode  to 
a  distant  part  of  the  herd,  where  the  Indians 
had  succeeded  in  killing  a  fat  cow.     But  from 
this  cow,  as  is  usual  in  similar  cases,  the  herd 
had  all  moved  off,  except  one  bull,  who,  when 
I  came  up,  still  kept  the  Indians  at  bay.     '  You 
are  warriors,'  said  I,  as  I  rode  up,  « going  far 
from  your  own  country,  to  seek  an  enemy;  but  * 
you  cannot  all  together  slay  this  animal,  who 
has  nothing  in  his  hands.'     So  saying,  I  passed 
them  directly,  towards  the  bull,  then  standing 
something  more  than  two  hundred  yards  distant. 
He  no  sooner  saw  me  approach,  than  he  came 

18* 


111 


SIO 


HUNTING-SUPERSTITIONS. 


plunging   towards  me  wiih   such  impetuosity, 
that  knowing  the  danger  to  my  horse  and  my- 
self, I  turned  and  fled.     The  Indians  laughed 
heartily  at  my  repulse,  but  they  did  not  give 
over   their   attempts  to  get  at  the  cow.     By 
dividing  the  attention  of  the  bull,  and  creeping 
up  to  him  on  different  sides,  they  at  length  shot 
him  down.     While  we  were   cutting   up   the 
cow,  the  herd  were  at  no  great  distance,  and  an 
old  cow,  which  the  Indians  supposed  to  be  the 
mother  of  the  one  we  had  killed,  taking  the 
scent  of  the   blood,  came  running  with  great 
violence   directly   towards   us.     The    Indians 
were  alarmed  and  fled,  many  of  them  not  hav- 
ing their  guns  in  their  hands;  but  I  had  careful- 
ly re-loaded  mine,  and  had  it  ready  for  use. 
Throwing  myself  down  close  to  the  body  of  the 
cow,  and  behind  it,  I  waited  till  the  other  cai 
up  within  a  few  yards  of  the  carcass,  when  I 
fired  upon  her;  she  turned,  gave  one  or  two 
jumps,  and  fell  dead.     We  had  now  the  meat 
of  two  fat   cows,  which  was  as  much  as  we 
wanted;  accordingly,  we  repaired  without  delay 
to  the  appointed  place,  where  we  found  our 
party,  whose   hunger   was   already  somewhat 
allayed  by  a  deer  one  of  them  had  killed.' 
Some  allusion  has  been  made  to  the  super- 


I 


I 


HUNTING-SCJPERSTITIONS.  ftH 

stitions  which  the  Indians  connect  with  their 
notions  of  hunting;  but   there  are  still  others 
which  deserve   a  passing  notice.     Nearly  aU 
the  tribes  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Western  and 
Northern  Lakes,  and  many  in  other  parts  of 
the  continent,  believe  implicidy  in  the  efficacy 
of  charms,  chanting  and  prayers.     These  are 
resorted  to  in  aU  emergencies,  as,  for  instanct , 
when  game  becomes  alarmingly  scarce,  or  the 
weather  exceedingly  severe. 

Among  many  tribes,  the  medicine-bag,  as  the 
whites  call  it,  is  in  general  use.  This  is  a  little 
leathern  sack,  attached  to  the  hunter's  girdle 
on  the  occasions  in  question,  and  in  which  he 
carries  certain  roots,  pounded  fine,  and  mixed 
with  red  paint.  This  paint  is  to  be  applied  to 
what  the  Chippewa  calls  his 
muz-zi-ne-neen-ug,  which  are 
small  rude  images, — ^generally 
on   wood, —  of  the   wild-fowl 


which  the  hunter  wishes  to  kill,  on  A  e«  ^f  «««. 


m 

'ill 


n 


Other  game. 


'J    vw 


■If! 


1.1  Ml 


•'•'I 


mk 


'"f\ 


212 


MEDICINE-HUNTg. 


The  numerous  and  extremely  barbarous 
Chippeyans  of  the  North- West,  whose  bleak 
and  barren  country  affords  not  even  birch-bark 
from  which  these  images  can  be  made,  and 
whose  rudeness  has  left  them  ignorant  of  any 
material  proper  to  delineate  figures  upon,  use, 
in  their  preparations  for  the  medicine-hunt,  one 
of  the  shoulder-bones  of  the  rein-deer,  or  such 
other  animals  as  are  found  in  their  region. 
After  awkwardly  sketching  on  this  bone  the 
figure  of  the  annnal  which  they  wish  to  kill,— 
and  of  which  it  generally  happens  that  they 
have  had  more  or  les^  dreams  beforehand, — 
they  throw  the  bone  into  the  fire,  or  otherwise 
destroy  it.  The  mere  sketching  of  the  figure, 
in  their  theory,  serving  as  good  a  purpose  as 
the  much  more  laborious  and  tedious  singing, 
watching,  carving,  and  often  drumming  and 
other  ceremonies,  practised  by  most  other 
tribes.  Some  Indians  imagine  that  they  effect 
the  some  object  by  drawing  the  outlines  of 
animals,  with  a  coal  perhaps,  on  a  bit  of  bark; 
others,  with  only  a  stick,  in  the  ashes  or  sand. 
But  all  these  preparations  are  charms,  or  medi-^ 
eines;  and  the  hunts  which  follow  them  are 
medicine-hunts. 

The  Bo¥- s  Feast  has  been  mentioned  in  the 


HUNTING-FEASTS. 


213 


case  of  Tanner.  It  is  observed  among  many 
tribes,  whenever  the  young  hunter  kills  his  first 
game.  Should  it  be  but  a  small  bird,  or  even 
a  fish,  the  feast  must  not  be  forgotten. 

The  hurifers  of  the  same  tribes,— the  North- 
Western,— observe  what  they  call  a  Medicine- 
Feast,     During  one  whole  day  in  spring,  and 
another  in  autumn,  they  spread  out  the  contents 
of  the  medicine-bag  in  the  back  part  of  their 
wigwam,  and  invite  their  neighbors  to  a  feast 
in  honor  of  their  medicine,  or  guardian  spirit.* 
Other  superstitious  observances  connected  with 
hunting,   too  numerous   to   be   specified,   are 
practised  in  other  sections  of  the  continent. 

*  Tanner*8  NarratiVe. 


i  HI 


m 


m 


Mi! 


S14 


SPEAR-FISHING. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Sketches  of  Indian  Fishing — Trout-spcaring  in  the  Northern 
Lakes — Fishing  of  the  Western  Indians — Fishing  inachineii 
—Seal  and  whale-fishing  of  the  Nootkas — Crail,  sweep  and 
net-fishing  of  the  Southern  tribes — Cane-fishing  and  hand- 
fishing — Anecdotes  from  Mc'Kenzie,  Adair,  and  Henry. 

A  large  number  of  the  American  Indians,  es- 
pecially of  those  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
and  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  great  Lakes, 
depend  more  upon  fishing  than  upon  hunting 
for  their  sustenance.  Spearing  is  a  very  com- 
mon mode  of  fishing  among  the  indians  of  the 
Lakes.  One  variety  of  it,  not  yet  mentioned, 
is  practised  in  taking  the  large  and  delicious 
trout  of  those  beautiful  waters,  during  the  win- 
ter. Holes  are  cut  through  the  ice  of  the 
lake,  or  liver,  of  perhaps  two  yards  in  circum- 
ference. Over  these,  arbors  are  constructed, 
of  small  branches  of  trees,  two  or  three  feet 
high,  and  so  closely  covered  outside  with  skins 
as  wholly  to  exclude  the  light.  The  efl^ect  of 
this  contrivance  is,  that  objects  may  be  discern- 
ed distinctly  in  the  water  beneath  to  a  consid- 
erable depth. 

A  spear-head  of  iron  being  fastened  to  the 

pnt\  o^  ^   Tinlp  pV»0!lt  t«^n  fnpf    in    lonorth     tViia    in_ 


SPEAR^FISUING. 


215 


strument  is  lowered  into  the  water,  while  the 
fisherman,  lying  flat  on  the  ice,  wim  his  head 
under  the  cabin,  and  over  the  hole,  lets  down 
also  the  wooden  figure  of  a  fish,  made  heavy 
with  lead  or  stone.     Hound  the  middle  of  the 
image  a  thread  is  tied:  and  when  at  the  depth 
of  some  forty  or  fifty  feet,— or,  as  deep  as  it  is 
meant  to  be  used,-— it  is  made,  by  drawing  the 
string,  and  by  pressure  of  the  water,  to  move 
about  in  the  manner  of  a  living  fish.     Deceived 
by  the  resemblance,  the  trout  spring  forward  to 
seize  it;  but  this  they  are  prevented  from  effecting 
by  a  dexterous  jerk  of  the  string.     The  image 
is  now  drawn  up  nearer  the  surface;  and  the  fish 
take  some  time  for  renewing  the  attack,  during 
which  the  fisherman  has  his  spear  made  ready 
for  striking.     This  is  easily  done,  and  the  fish 
as  easily  drawn  out  by  the  barb  of  the  instru- 
ment.    Henry  states  that  the  light  is  so  entirely 
excluded  by  this  contrivance,  that  he  had  him- 
self seen  the  shadows  of  the  fish,  on  the  bottom, 
following  them  as  they  moved;  and  this  when 
the  ice  itself  was  two  feet  in  thickness.     The 
trout  are  also  taken  by  hook  and  line. 

The  Indians  beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains 
are  in  the  habit  of  taking  immense  quantities  of 
fish, — the  most  common  of  which  is  the  sal- 


i 


ii': 


216 


WESTERN  FISHING. 


mon.     They  use  various  kinds  of  nets,  weirs 
and  machines,  among  which  Mc'Kenzie  des- 
cribes a  large  machine,  which,  he  says,  could 
never  have  been  brought  into  the  house  where 
he  saw  it  without   the   roof  being   previously 
taken  off.     It  was   cylindrical  in  form,  fifteen 
feet  long,  and  four  and  one  half  feet  in  diame- 
ter.    One   end   was  flat,    like  the  head   of  a 
cask.      To  the  other   end  a  conical  machine 
was  fixed  inwards,  of  about  the  same  breadth; 
and  at  the  extremity  of  this,  was  an  opening  of 
several  inches  diameter.     The  whole  was  evi- 
dently designed  to  be  set  in  the  river,  to  catch 
large  fish;  and  Mc'Kenzie  says  it  must  be  im- 
possible for  them,  after  once  entering,  to  make 
their  escape.     It  was  made  of  long  pieces  of 
sf^it  wood,  rounded  to  the  size  of  a  small  fin- 
ger, and  placed  at  the  distance  of  an  inch  asun- 
der on  six  hoops;  to  all  which  was  added  «a 
kind  of  boot  of  the  same  material,  into  which 
it  may  be   supposed  that  the  fish  are  driven, 
when  they  are  to  be  taken  out.' 

-Among  the  nrwre  southern  tribes,  such  as  the 
Choctaws,  Chickasaws  and  Cherokees,  several 
modes  of  fishing, — or  stratagems  to  serve  the 
sanoe  purpose,— are  or  have  been  in  vogue, 
"«.<w.«  o»^  ««w»ow)r  j^cv;uiiar  lo  inemseives. 


WESTERN  PISHING 


217 


^    The  Nootkas,  and  other  Indians  on  the  coast 
of  the  Pacific    Ocean,  are   the  most  expert 
fishers  on  the  continent.     Their  lines  are  made 
01  whale-sinews,  and  are  extremely  tough;  their 
hooks,  of  wood  and  bone.     In  taking  sahnon, 
which  abound  in  their  rivers,  one  person  seats 
himself  m  a  small  canoe,  and  baiting  his  hook 
with  a  sprat,  which  they  are  always  careful  to 
procure  as  fresh  as  possible,  fastens  his  line  to 
the  handle  of  the  paddle :  this,  as  he  plies  it  in  the 
water,  keeps  the  fish  in  constant  motion,  so  as 
to  give  It  the  appearance  of  life,  which  the  sal- 
mon  seeing,  leaps  at  it  and  is  instantly  hooked 
and  by  a  sudden  and  dexterous  motion  of  the 
paddle,   drawn  on   board.     Mr.  Jewett,  who 
was  wrecked  on  the  North- West  coast  in  1803 
and  lived  there  several  years,  saw  twenty  or 
thirty  canoes  employed  at  one  time  in  fishina; 
in  this  manner.     The  porpoise,  sea-cow,  and 
even  the  whale  are  killed  with  a  kind  of  javelin 
or  harpoon.     The  barbs  of  this  instrument  are 
lormed  of  bone   which  are  sharpened   on  the 
outer  side,  and  hollowed  within,  for  the  purpose 
of  forming  a  socket  for  the  staff;  these  are  then 
secured  firmly  together  with  whale-sinew,  the 

point  being  fitted  so  as  to  m^^iVo  o  «: r 

muscle-shell,  which  is  ground  to  a  veiy  sharp 

I? 


:i| 


:l! 


ill 


ais 


SOUTHERN  FISHlNa 


sdge,  and  secured  in  its  place  by  means  of  tur» 
pentine.  To  this  head  or  prong  is  fastened  a 
strong  line  of  whale-sinew  about  nine  feet  in 
length,  to  the  end  of  which  is  tied  a  bark  rope 
from  fifty  to  sixty  fathoms  long,  having  from 
twenty  to  thirty  seal-skin  floats  or  buoys  at- 
tached to  it  at  certain  intervals,  in  order  to 
check  the  motion  of  the  whale  and  obstruct  his 
diving.  In  the  socket  of  the  harpoon  a  staff 
or  pole  of  about  ten  feet  long,  gradually  taper- 
ing from  the  middle  to  each  end,  is  placed; 
this  the  harpooner  holds  in  his  hand  in  order  to 
strike  the  whale,  and  immediately  detatches  it 
as  soon  as  the  fish  is  struck.  These  tribes  on 
the  coast  live  almost  wholly  upon  various  kinds 
of  fish,  shell-fish,  spawn,  blubber  and  train-oil. 
In  a  dry  summer-season, — says  Mr.  Adair 
in  his  *  General  Observations,'  * — they  gather 
horse-chestnuts,  and  different  kind  of  roots, 
pound  them  fine,  and  steep  them  for  some  time 
with  water  in  a  trough.  This  mixture  they 
cast  about  in  certain  parts  of  a  pond,  and  stir 
it  with  poles,  until  the  water  is  more  or  less 
impregnated  with  the  intoxicating  bitter.  The 
fish  pretty  soon  turn  over  on  their  backs,  and 
rise  to  the  surface.    The  fishers  gather  in  baskets 


*  London,  177&. 


CANE-PISHING. 


219 


as  many  as  they  wish,  and  the  others  are  left  to 
recover  from  their  stupid  slumbers  in  the  best 
manner  they  may. 

The  same  writer  describes  a  machine  under 
the  name  of  a  crail,  made  with  canes  and  splint- 
ers of  hickory-wood,  tapering  to  a  point,— re- 
sembling the  contrivance  of  the  Western  Indians 
described  by  Mc'Kenzie.  The  crail  is  laid  at 
a  fall  of  water,  *  where  stones  are  placed  in  two 
sloping  lines  from  each  bank,  till  they  meet  to- 
gether in  the  middle  of  the  rapid  stream,  where 
the  entangled  fish  soon  die.'  Above  such  a 
place  as  this,  the  fishermen,  fastening  together 
8  wreath  of  long  grape-vines,  to  reach  across 
the  stream  or  pond,  with  stones  so  attached 
to  it  as  to  make  it  rake  the  bottom,  would  swim 
perhaps  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  holding  the  wreath, 
and  whooping  and  plunging  all  the  way,  so  as 
to  frighten  the  fish  before  them  into  the  crails 
or  cane-pots. 

Tne  southern  Indians  were  also  very  expert 
in  striking  large  fish,  from  their  canoes,  with 
long  sharp-pointed  green  canes,  well  bearded, 
or  notched,  and  hardened  in  the  fire.  In  Sa- 
vannah river,  \dair  saw  them  take  sturgeon  in 
this  manner.  After  the  first  4)low,  the  fish 
would  immediately  dive  deep,  carrying  the  cane 


0 

i 


n 


230 


HAND-FISHING. 


!!■?' 


off  with  them;  but  their  struggles  soon  expend- 
ed their  strength,  and  as  soon  as  the  top-end  of 
the  cane  appeared  again  on  tlie  surface,  they 
were  readily  secured,  or  at  least  wounded  a 
second  time. 

These  Indians  had  also  a  method  of  fishing 
under  the  edges  of  rocks,  jutting  over  the  deep 
places  of  a  river,  for  the  large  fierce  cat-fish^ 
which,  in  the  hot  climate  of  these  regions,  were 
often  to  be  found  sheltering  themselves  from 
the  blaze  of  noon-day  under  the  rocks  of  the 
shore,  and  at  the  same  time  watching  for  prey. 
The  fisherman,  well  knowing  the  animal's  habits, 
wrapped  a  strip  of  coarse  red  cloth  around  his 
right  arm,  so  as  to  reach  the  lower  part  of  the 
palm  of  the  right  hand.     He  then  dived  under 
the  shadow  of  the  shore,  and  approached  the 
cat-fish.     The  latter  seized  voraciously  at  the 
red  bait.      The   diver,   with  great  dexterity 
opened   his  hand   suddenly,  grasped  the  fish, 
struggled  with  it  against  the  crevices  of  the  rock, 
and  at  length  brought   it  safe  ashore.       The 
southern   Indians,  except  the  Choctaws,  says 
Mr.  Adair,  are, — « in  the  watery  element  nearly 
equal  to  amphibious  animals,  by  practice.' 

Their  hand-nets  were  about  three  feet  deep, 
of  the  sam.e  diameter  at  the  opening,  and  made 


fWEEP-FlSHINO. 


221 


of  wild  hemp.  On  each  side  of  the  mouth, 
strong  elastic  canes  were  fastened  to  the  ends. 
Prepared  with  these,  the  fishermen  jumped  in 
at  the  end  of  a  long  pond,  and  then  swam  under 
water,  widi  their  net  stretched  open  by  both 
hands,  and  the  canes  in  a  horizontal  position. 
This  they  swept  through  the  water  until  they 
were  either  compelled  to  rise  for  breath,  or  to 
carry  their  burden  ashore  on  account  of  its 
weight. 

'  I  have  been  engaged  half  a  day  at  a  time,' 
—-Mr.  Adair  says,  — « with  the  old  friendly 
Chickasaws,  and  half  drowned  in  the  diversion. 
When  any  of  us  was  so  unfortunate  as  to  catch 
water-snakes  in  our  sweep,  and  empty  them 
ashore,  we  had  the  ranting  outcry  of  our  whole 
company  raised  against  us,  until  some  other 
fisherman  was  unlucky  enough  to  meet  with  the 
same  misfortune.  During  this  exercise  the 
women  are  fishing  from  shore,  with  coarse  bas- 
kets, to  catch  the  fish  that  escape  our  nets.  At 
the  end  of  our  diversion,  we  cheerfully  return 
home. '  As  the  kinds  of  amusement  last  describ- 
ed could  not  well  be  practised  in  cold  climates, 
it  scarcely  need  be  remarked  that  they  were 
confined  almost  entirely  to  the  southern  tribes. 
At  present  they  are  not  much  in  fashion  any 

10* 


ill 


I  ii 


ti    i^ 


w    UJ 


n 


^92 


8WEEP-FISHINO. 


where.  The  southern  tribes  have  been  much 
reduced  in  some  cases,  and  in  others  have 
become  wholly  extinct,  while  the  introduction 
of  the  metal  '  ^oolsofthe  whites  into  quite 
common  use  ..aong  them,  has  made  it  less 
necessary  than  it  once  was  to  depend  for  a 
livelihood  on  the  contrivances  and  stratagems 
of  savage  cunning. 


AMUSEMENTS. 


223 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Games  and  sports  of  the  New-England  Indiamh- Of  the  Cfena- 
diaos— Of  the  Lake  tribes—Of  the  Southern  tribes— Game  of 
Reeds— Of  Dice— Of  the  Dish— Baggatiwa,  and  other  ball- 
playing—*  Running  Hard  Labor'— Riding  and  Racing— Va- 
rious other  amuseiueuuj  of  tlie  tribes  iu  various  sections  of 
the  continent— Superstitions  connected  with  games. 

From  the  gravity  of  the  American  savages, 
it  might  be  supposed  that  they  were  little  in  the 
habit  of  indulging  themselves  with  sportive  re- 
creations. Nor  do  they,  indeed,  cultivate  amuse- 
ment much  for  its  own  sake.  They  have  their 
dances,  (of  which  hereafter,)  and  they  have 
many  little  pastimes,  like  running  races  and 
shooting  at  marks,  which  are  common  in  some 
degree  to  almost  all  nations.  But  the  greater 
part  of  their  sports  are  games,  and  these  games 
are  used  as  occasions  for  gambling.  There  is 
no  people  on  the  face  of  the  eartfi,  who  gamble 
so  much  to  their  own  injury,  as  the  American 
Indians.  As  a  vice  among  them  all  it  is  second 
onl  to  drunkenness. 

Their  games  are  either  public  or  private. 
Public  games  were  formerly  more  frequent  than 
now.    Roger  Williams,  speaking  of  the  New 


ill 


224 


GAMES. 


England  Indians,  nearly  two  centuries  ago,  says 
-—'Their  publique  Games  are  solemnized  by 
the  meeting  of  hundreds,  sometimes  thousands, 
and  consist  of  many  varieties;  none  of  which,' 
adds  that  worthy  gentleman,  « I  durst  ever  be 
present  at,  that  I  might  not  countenance  and 
partake  of  their  folly,  after  I  once  saw  the  evill 
of  them.' 

Among  the  rest  was  a  « Game  like  unto  the 
English  cards;  yet,  instead  of  cards,  they  play 
with  strong  Rushes.'  No  doubt  this  is  the 
same  game  which  the  French  writer  Charlevoix 
alludes  to  in  his  Letters  on  the  Northern  In- 
dians, written  in  1720.  Speaking  of  the  Pot- 
tewatemies  and  Miamies, — tribes  which  are 
well  known  at  the  present  day,— he  observes, 
■  that  while  he  was  on  a  visit  to  the  latter,  two 
parties  of  them  played  against  each  other  in  the 
great  cabin  of  the  Miami  chieftain,  and  upon  an 
open  space  in  front  of  it. 

He  calls  it  the  <  game  of  straws,'  or  reeds. 
These  were  about  as  large  as  a  wheat-stem, 
and  about  six  inches  long.  They  put  together 
a  parcel  of  them,  always  an  odd  number,  and 
generally  two  hundred  and  one.  After  shuffling 
them  well  together,  they  separated  them  with  a 
kind  of  awl,  or  a  pointed  bone,  into  parcels  of 


GAMES. 


235 


ten  each;  every  one  chose  his  parcel  at  a  ven- 
ture, and  he  that  happened  to  get  the  bunch  of 
eleven,  gained  a  certain  number  of  points  which 
are  agreed  on.  The  whole  game  was  sixty  or 
eighty.  The  Indians  were  so  much  engaged 
in  playing  for  the  wager  agreed  on,  as  to  con- 
tinue it  sometimes  for  whole  days  and  nights  in 
succession,  until  they  gambled  away  even  the 
clothes  which  they  wore.  Something  like  this 
game  is  in  common  use  at  this  day. 

Another  New-England  game  is  mentioned  by 
Roger  Williams,  as  being  played  <  with  a  kinde 
of  Dice,  which  are  Plumb-stones  painted;  and 
these  they  cast  in  a  Tray  with  a  mighty  noyse 
and  sweating.'      When  large   numbers   were 
engaged  in  this  game,— as,  for  instance,  one 
town  against  another, — they  were  accustomed 
to  meet  in  a  square  arbor-like  play-house,  made 
of  poles  and  green  boughs,  and  built  expressly 
for  this  purpose.     The  dice  being  handled  only 
by  two,  one  was  chosen  by  each  party;  and 
when   either  of  these  two  was  beaten,  a  by- 
stander stepped  in  to  fill  his  place,  until  victory 
was  declared  for  one  of  the  two  parties.     All 
this  went  on  « with  great  shouting  and  solem- 
nity.'    The   waffer  nlavpH   for  wnc  <ronoi.oin>> 
that  kind  of  small  smooth  shells,  of  different 


'\ 


I 


S26 


GAMES. 


colors,  called  by  the  Northern  Indians  wampum^ 
or  wampumpeague,  and  used  as  well  for  a  coin, 
as  for  ornamenting  the  dress,  and  other  pur- 
poses. 

This  game,  too,  is  described  by  Charlevoix 
as  played  among  the  Canadian  tribes.  He 
calls  ii  the  '  game  of  the  dish.'  He  saw  it 
played  by  two  persons.  Each  of  them  had 
six  or  eight  little  bones,  of  about  the  size  and 
shape  of  apricot-stones,  each  bone  being  fur- 
nished with  siy  unequal  sides,  and  the  two 
principal  of  which  were  painted,  one  black, 
and  the  other  yellow.  They  made  them  jump 
up  by  striking  the  ground,  or  the  table,  with  a 
round  and  hollow  dish,  which  contained  the 
bones,  and  which  they  twirled  round  first,  mak- 
ing it  serve  the  purpose  of  a  dice-brx.  When 
they  had  no  dish,  they  threw  them  into  the  air 
with  their  hands.  If  in  falling,  they  turned  up 
all  one  color,  he  who  threw  tliem  won  five, 
and  the  whole  game  was  forty.  Five  bones  of 
one  color  won  but  one,  the  first  time;  the  sec- 
ond time,  they  gave  the  player  his  game.  A 
less  number  gave  him  nothing.  The  winner 
continued  playing;  the  loser  gave  place  to 
another  appointed  by  his  party. 

'  Thp  nlavprs!   nnnpnr   like  ''^**on^»*  nnccpccofl. 


GAMES. 


227 


and  the  spectators  are  not  more  calm.     They 
all   make  a   thousand  contortions,  talk  to  the 
bones,  load  the  spints  of  the  adverse  party  with 
imprecations;  and  the  whole  village  echoes  with 
howlings.     If  all   this  does  not  recover  their 
luck,  the  losers  may  put  off  the  party  till  the 
next  day:  it  costs  them  only  a  small  treat  to  the 
company.     Then  they  prepare  to  return  to  the 
engagement.     Each  invokes   his   Geniusy  and 
throws  some  tobacco  in  the  fire  to  his  honor. 
They  ask  him,  above   all   things,   for  lucky 
dreams.     As  soon  as  the  da^  appears,  they  go 
again  to  play;  but  if  the  losers  fancy  that  the 
goods  in  their  cabins  made  them  unlucky,  the 
first  thing  they  do  is  to  change  them  all.     The 
great  parties  commonly  last  five  or  six  days,  and 
often  continue  all  night.     In  the  meantime,  all 
the  persons  present,  concerned  in  the  game,  are 
m  an  agitation  which  deprives  them  of  reason.'* 
Some  quarrelling  and  fighting  frequently  ensued. 
A  thn-d  New  England  game  mentioned  by 
Mr.  Williams,  is  called  by  him  fooi-ball     It 
was  played  only  in  summer  time,-  -frequently 
town  figainst  town,— and  the  place  chosen  was 
some  broad  sandy  shore,  free  from  stones;  or 
perhaps  some  smooth  level  plain. 

*  Charlevoix. 


2S8 


GAMES. 


A  species  of  ball-playing  has  been  in  vogue 
throughout  the  continent,  wliich  is  called  by 
the  Chippevvas,  Ottawas,  and  other  Indians  of 
the  Lakes,  baggatiwa.  It  is  played  by  them 
with  a  bat  and  ball,  corresponding  to  those 
used  in  the  English  game  cricket.  The  bat  is 
about  four  feet  long,  curved,  and  terminating  in 
a  sort  of  racket,  shaped  suitably  for  striking 
the  ball.  Two  posts  are  planted  in  the  ground, 
at  a  considerable  distance  from  each  other, — 
perliaps  a  mile.  Each  party  has  its  post,  and 
the  game  consists  in  throwing  the  ball  up  to  the 
adversary's  post.  The  ball,  at  the  beginning, 
is  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  course,  and  each 
party  endeavors  as  well  to  throw  the  ball  out 
of  the  direction  of  its  own  post,  as  into  that  of 
the  adversary's.  It  was  under  the  pretext  of 
playing  this  violent  and  noisy  game,  that  a 
combination  of  Indians  hostile  to  the  English, 
in  1763,  succeeded  in  taking  the  fortress  and 
massacring  the  incautious  garrison  of  Michili- 
mackinac.  They  played  immediately  before 
the  walls,  and  the  soldiers  were  politely  invit- 
ed to  witness  the  sport.  They  did  so:  but, 
in  the  midst  of  it,  the  Indians  suddenly  and 
very  cunningly  took  advantage  of  a  moment 
of  great  excitement  and  busde,  to  rush  into  the 


GAMES. 


229 


gates  and  take  possession  of  the  fortress.  Near- 
ly one  hundred  English  soldiers  were  butchered 
on  the  spot.* 

Charlevoix  saw  a  game  of  this  description 
played  among  the  Miamies,  more  than  a  hun- 
dred years  since,  which  he  calls  the  '  Game  of 
the  Bat.'     <  Their  business  is  to  strike  the  ball 
to  the  foot  of  the  adverse  party,  vntlwut  letting 
it  fall  to  the  ground,  and  uithout  touching  it 
vfith  the  hand,-^for  in  either  of  these  cases 
they  lose  the  game,  unless  he  that  makes  the 
fault,  repairs  it  by  sinking  tJu  ball  at  one  blow 
to  the  foot,  which  is  often  impossible.     These 
savages  are  so  dexterous  at  catching  the  ball 
with  their  bats,  that  sometimes  one  game  will 
last  for  days  together.'— This  ancient  game  is 
evidently  dangerous  to  life  and  limb.    There  was 
another  among  the  Miamies,  much  like  it,  but 
less  hazardous. 

The  Southern  Indians  have  been  much  ad- 
dicted to  ball-playing.  'Theball,'— says  Adair, 
speaking  of  the  Choctaws  and  Cherokees,— 
'  is  made  of  a  piece  of  scraped  deer-skin, 
moistened,  stuffed  hard  with  deer's  hair,  and 
strongly  sewed  with  deer's  sinews.  The  ball- 
sticks  are  about  two  feet  long,  the  lower  end 


•  K 


I   »»»^ 


.f  .1 t_j: 


iTvo  vi    uic  xiiUiiUiSj   VOi.  ilm 


20 


230 


GAMES. 


.somewhat  resembling  the  palm  of  a  hand,  and 
which  are  worked  with  deer-skin  thongs.  Be- 
tween these  they  catch  the  ball,  and  throw  it 
a  great  distance,  when  not  prevented  by  some 
of  the  opposite  party,  who  fly  to  intercept 
them.  The  goal  is  about  five  hundred  yards  in 
length.  At  each  end  of  it  they  fix  two  long 
bending  poles  into  the  ground,  three  yards  apart 
below,  but  standing  a  considerable  way  out- 
Wards.  The  party  that  throws  the  ball  over 
these,  counts  one;  but  if  it  be  thrown  under- 
neath, it  is  cast  back,  and  played  for  as  usual. 
The  gamesters  are  equal  in  number  on  each 
side;  and  at  the  beginning  of  every  course  of 
ball,  they  throw  it  up  high  in  the  centre  of  the 
ground,  and  in  a  direct  line  between  the  goals 
When  the  crowd  of  players  prevents  the  one 
who  caught  the  ball  from  throwing  it  off  with 
a  long  direction,  he  commonly  sends  it  the 
right  course  by  an  artful  sharp  twirl.  They 
are  so  exceedingly  expert  in  this  exercise, 
that,  between  the  goals,  the  ball  is  mostly  kept 
flying  the  different  ways,  by  the  force  of  the 
playing  sticks,  without  falling  to  the  ground, 
for  they  are  not  allowed  to  catch  it  with  their 
hands.  It  is  surprising  to  see  how  swiftly  they 
fly,  when  closely  chased  by  a  nimble-footed 


GAMES. 


231 


pursuer.  When  they  are  intercepted  by  one 
of  the  opposite  party,  his  fear  of  being  cut  off 
[struck]  by  the  ball-sticks,  commonly  gives 
them  an  opportunity  of  throwing  it  perhaps  a 
hundred  yards;  but  the  antagonist  does  some- 
times run  up  close  behind,  and  dash  down  the 
baU.' 

It  might  be  supposed  that  this  violent  sport 
would  be  attended  with  some  blood-shedding 
and  bone-breaking,  and  that  the  parties  would 
become  enraged  with  each  other.  It  was  how- 
ever very  uncommon  to  witness  any  thing  like 
spitefulness  in  the  game.  Only  once  Mr.  Adair 
saw  legs  and  arms  broken,  by  some  of  the  play- 
ers hurling  down  their  opponents,  when  upon 
descending  and  slippery  ground,  and  running  at 
full  speed.  In  this  instance  there  was  a  family 
dispute  of  ancient  standing,  between  the  play- 
ers, and  the  wager  at  stake  was  all  they  were 
worth.  The  Choctaws,  in  particular,  have 
formerly  been  addicted  to  gambling  to  great 
excess.  Frequently,  they  would  stake  not 
only  all  the  property  in  their  possession,  but  as 
much  more  as  their  credit  would  procure  for 
them. 

The  Southern  Indians  were  not  less  diligent 
than  the  Northern  in  their  endeavors  to  propi- 


S93 


GAMES. 


tiate  the  favor  of  their  gods.  The  Choctaws 
were  less  religious  than  the  neighboring  tribes; 
but  even  they,  previous  to  any  great  ball-playing, 
fasted  and  kept  awake  all  night,  while  their 
female  relations  spent  the  same  time  in  dancing 
out  of  doors.  In  the  morning,  each  party 
turned  out  to  the  ball-ground,  in  a  long  row, 
painted  white,  and  whooping  (we  are  told,) 
'  as  if  Pluto's  prisoners  were  all  broke  loose.' 
At  the  close  of  this  grand  shouting,  the  leader 
began  a  religious  invocation,  by  crying  yah^ 
short — ^then  yo,  long,  and  on  a  low  key  like 
the  leader; — and  thus  they  went  on  with  their 
chanting.  The  activity  with  which  they  play- 
ed this  severe  game,  is  the  more  remarkable, 
since  it  was  never  played  but  in  mid-summer 
time, — as  Mr.  Williams  says  was  the  custom 
respecting  foot-ball  in  New  England. 

There  was  another  ancient  sport  among  the 
southern  warriors,  which  bore  some  resem- 
blance to  what  is  called  by  the  whites  quoit- 
pitching,  but  which  might  with  more  propriety, 
as  Mr.  Adair  says,  be  termed  ^running  hard 
labor. ^ 

For  playing  this  game,  a  square  piec«  of 
ground  was  kept  well  cleaned,  in  the  centre  of 
the  village;  and  fine  sand  was  carefully  strown 


OAMEB. 


333 


over  it,  when  requisite,  to  give  a  swifter  motion 
to  whatever  passed  along  the  surface.     Only- 
one  or  two  on  a  side,  played  at  one   time. 
Each  of  these  had  a  flat  stone,  about  a  foot 
and  a  half  in  circumference,  and  an  inch  or  two 
thick;  and  also  a  pole  some  eight  feet  long, 
smooth,   and   tapering  at  each  end,--but  the 
points  flat.     They  set  off  abreast  of  each  other, 
at  six  yards  from  the  end  of  the  play-ground. 
Then  one  of  them  hurled  the  stone  on  its  edge, 
in  as  direct  a  line  forward  as  possible,  a  con- 
siderable distance  towards  the  middle  of  the 
other  end  of  the  squai-e.     After  running  a  few 
yards,  each  one  darted  his  pole,  (anointed  with 
bear's  oil)  widi  such  a  force  as  he  judged  most 
likely,  considering  the  motion  of  the  stone,  to 
bring  the  end  down  close  to  the  stone.     If  this 
should  be  the  case,  the  successful  player  counted 
two  in  the  game;  and  in  proportion  to  the  near- 
ness of  the  poles  to  the  mark,  one  was  counted, 
— unless,  by  measurement,  both  were  found  to 
be  at  an   equal   distance.     Thus   the  players 
would  keep  running  the  greater  part  of  the  day, 
under  the  violent  heat  of  the  sun.     They  staked 
their  silver  ornaments;  their  nose,  finger,  and 
ear-rings;  their  breast,  arm,  and  wrist-plates; 

20* 


i  III 


334 


GAMES. 


and  even  most  of  their  wearing  apparel.  The 
ftones,  used  in  this  laborious  sport,  were  very 
carefully  made  smooth  by  rubbing  against  rocks; 
and  once  properly  fashioned,  they  were  preserv- 
ed, among  the  common  property  of  the  town 
or  tribe,  from  one  generation  to  another. 


.:{' 


CND  or  VOL.  I 


ery 
arv- 


